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TWENTY YEARS 



THE PHILIPPINES. 

TIIAXSLA-J'EU KItOM TUi: rllHXCU OK 

PAUL P. DE LA^GIRONIERE, 

(:11K\AI,IKK OK TIIK ORDlir, OK THE LE'JION OK TIONOlt. ' 

Ilovidcd and Extended by the Author, CNjircssly for this Edition. 




Portrait oCtbo Author. 



NEW YORK: 
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHER 

3 2 &. 3 3 1 PEARL STREET, 
J' Jl A .N K L I N SQUARE. 

1854. 



r^^ 






CONTENTS. 



Page 
List of Ulnstrations 11 

Preface ... 13 



CHAPTER I. 

A Family Sketch— My Youthful Days— I Study for the Medical Pr j- 
fesgion — Obtain a Naval Surgeon's Diploma — Early Voyages 
— Sail for Manilla ia-the Cultivateur — Adventurous Habits — 
Cholera and Massacre at Manilla and Cavite— Captain Drouant's 
Rescue — Personal Dangers and Timely Escapes — How Business 
may make Priends of one's Enemies — An Unprincipled Cap- 
tain — Tranquillity restored at Manilla — Pleasures of the Chase 
— The Cultivateur sails without me — First Embarrassments . 17 

CHAPTER 11. 

Description of Manilla — The two Towns — Gaiety of Binondoc — 
Dances — Gaming — Beauty of the Women — Their Pascinating 
Costume — Male Costume— The Military Town — Personal Ad- 
ventures — My First Patient — His Generous Confidence — Com- 
mencement of my Practice — The Artificial Eye — Brilliant 
Success — The Charming Widow — Auspicious Introduction — 
My Marriage — Treachery and Fate of Iturbide — Our Loss of 
Fortune — Return to France postponed 33 



VI CONTENTS. 

Page 

CHAPTER III. 

Continued Prosperity in Practice — Attempted Political Revolution 
— Desperate Street Engagement — Subjugation of the In- 
surgents — The Emperor of a Day — Dreadful Executions — 
Illness and Insanity of ray Wife — Her Recovery and Relapse 
—Removal to the Country — Beneficial Results — Dangerous 
Neighbours — Repentant Banditti — Eortunate Escape — The 
Anonymous Friend — A Confiding Wife — Her Pinal Recovery, 
and our Domestic Happiness restored 47 

CHAPTER TV. 

Hunting the Stag — Indian Mode of Chasing the Wild Buffalo : its 
Ferocity — Dangerous Sport — Capture of a Buffalo — Nari'ow 
Escape of an Indian Hunter — Return to Manilla — Injustice of 
the Governor — My Resignation of Office — I Purchase Property 
at Jala-Jala — Retire from Manilla to take Possession of my 
Domains — Chiuese Legend — Festival of St. Nicholas — Quina- 
boutasan— Description of Jala-Jala — ^Interview with a Bandit 
Chief — Formation of Guard — Preparations for Building — 
Visit to Manilla, and Return to Jala-Jala — Completion of my 
House — Reception of my Wife by the Natives — The Govern- 
ment of the Philippines — Character of the Tagaloc Indians — 
Unmerited Chastisement — A C''""''te Appointed — Our Labours 
at Civilisation — My Hall of Justice -^ Buffalo Hunting 
Expedition . , , , 62 

CHAPTER V. 

Description of my House at Jala- Jala — Storms, Gales, and Earth- 
quakes — Reforming the Banditti — Card-playing — Tagal Cock- 
fighting — Skirmishes with Robbers — Courage of my Wife — 



CONTENTS. VU 

Page 

Our Domestic Happiness — Visits from Europeans — Their 
Astonishment at our Civilisation — Visit to a Sick Friend at 
Manilla — Tour through the Provinces of the Ilocos and Pan- 
gasinan Indians — My Reception by the Tinguians — Their 
Appearance and Habits — Manners and Customs — Indian Fett 
at Laganguilan y Madalag — Horrible Ceremonies to Cele- 
brate a Victory — Songs and Dances — Our Night-watch — We 
Explore our Cabin — Discovery of a Secret Well — A Tomb of 
the Tinguian Indians 95 



CHAPTER VI. 

Visit to Manabo — Conversation with my Guide — Eeligion of the 
Tinguians — Their Marriage Ceremony — Funereal Eites — 
Mode of Warfare — I take leave of the Tinguians — Journey to 
the Igorrots — Description of them — Their Dwellings — A 
Fortunate Escape — Alila and the Bandits — Recollections of 
Home — A Majestic Fig-tree — Superstition of Alila — Inter- 
view with an Igorrot— The Human Hand — Nocturnal Adven- 
ture — Consternation of Alila — Probable Origin of the Tinguians 
and Igorrots 117 



CHAPTER VII. 

I return to Jala- Jala — An Excursion on the Lake — Relempago'f* 
Narrative — Re-organisation of my Government — A Letter from 
my Brother Henry — His Arrival — He joins me in the Manage- 
ment of my Plantations — Cajoui, the Bandit : Anten-Anten 
— Indian Superstition — A Combat with the Bandit — His 
Death — A Piratical Descent — My Lieutenant is Wounded — I 
extract the Ball, and cure him . . 139 



vni CONTENTS. 

Page 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Death of my Brother Eohert — Our Party at Jala- Jala — Illness and 
Last Moments of my Friend Bermigan — Recovery and Depar- 
ture for France of Lafond — Joachim Balthazard : his Eccen- 
tricity — Tremendous Gale of Wind — Narrow Escape in 
Crossing the Lake— Safe Return to Jala- Jala — Destruction of 
my House and the Village by a Typhoon — Rendezvous with a 
Bandit — Ineffectual Attempts to Reform Him — His Death — 
Journey to Tapuzi — Its Inaccessibility — Grovernment of the 
Tapuzians — Morality and Religious Character of their Chief 
— Their Curiosity at beholding a White Man — Former 
Wickedness and Divine Punishment— We bid adieu to the 
Tapuzians, and return to Jala- Jala 162 



CHAPTER IX. 

Suppression of War between two Indian Towns — Flourishing Con- 
dition of Jala-Jala — Hospitality to Strangers — ^Field Sports — 
Bat and Lizard Shooting — Visit to, and Description of, the 
Isle of Socolme — Adventure with a Cayman — Cormorants — 
We visit Los Bancs — Monkey Shooting — Expedition to, and 
Description of, the Grotto of San-Mateo — Magnificent aspect 
(if the Interior 181 



CHAPTER X. 

Dumont d'Urville — Rear- Admiral Laplace : Desertion of Sailors 
from his Ship — I recover them for him — Origin of the In- 
habitants of the Philippine Islands — Their General Disposition 
— Hospitality and Respect for Old Age — Tagal Marriage Cere- 
mony — Indian Legal Eloquence — ^Explanation of the Matri- 
monial Speeches — The Caymans, or Alligators — Instances of 



their Perociij — Imprudence and Death of my Shepherd — 
Method of Entrapping the Mtmstcr which had devoured him— 
We Attack and eventaally Capture it — Its Dimensions — We 
Dissect and Examine the Contents of its Stomach — Boa-Con- 
strietors — Their large size — Attack of a Boa-Constrictor on a 
Wild Boar — We Kill .and Skin it — Unsuccessful Attempt to 
Capture a Boa- Constrictor alive — A Man Devoured — Dan- 
gerous Venomous Reptiles . . 204 



CHAPTER XL 

The Prosperity and Happiness of my Life at Jala-Jala — Destruc- 
tiveness of the Locusts — Agriculture in the Philippines — My 
Herds of Oxen, Buflfaloes, and Horses — My Wife presents me 
with a Daughter, who dies — The Admiration of the Indian 
Women for my Wife — Birth of my Son — Continued Prosperity 
— Death of my Brother Henry — My Friendship with Malvi- 
lain — His Marriage with my eldest Sister — His Premature 
Death — I take my Wife to Manilla — Melancholy Adieus — We 
Return to Jala-Jala — Death of my Wife — My friend Vidie — I 
determine to Return to France 228 



CHAPTER XII. 

My friend Adolphe Barrot visits me at Jala-Jala — The Bamboo 
Cane — The Cocoa-Nut Tree — The Banana — Majestic Forests 
of Gigantic Trees — The Leeches — A Tropical Storm in a 
Forest — An Indian Bridge — "Bernard the Hermit" — ^We 
arrive at Binangonan-de-Lampon — The Ajetas — Veneration of 
the Ajetas for their Dead — Poison used by the Ajetas — I carry 
away a Skeleton — We Embark on the Pacific in an old Cauoe, 
reach Maoban, and ultimately arrive at Jala- Jala .... 245 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



I Determine not again to Separate from my Son — 1 take him to 
Manilla — The EiFects of the Wound I received among the 
Ajetas — My Eeeovery — Kindness of the Spanish and other 
Inhabitants of Manilla — Illness of my Son — I return with him 
to Jala-Jala — Sorrowful Eemembrances — The Death of my 
poor Boy — His Interment — My frantic Grief and Despair — 
I Determine to Quit the Philippines — I am Called to Manilla 
by Madame Dolores Seneris — My Pinal Departure from Jala- 
Jala — I Arrive at Manilla, where I resume Practice as a Sur- 
geon — I Embark for France — Discontent — My Travels through 
Europe — I Marry again — Death of my Mother and my Second 
Wife— Conclusion 283 



Statistics op the Philippine Islands.— Mechanical and Agri- 
cultural Products — I. The Soil of the Island of Luzon, and 
the Sources of its Fertility — 11. Rice — III. Indigo — IV. Tobacco 
— V. Abaca, or Vegetable Silk — VL Coffee — VII. Cacao — 
VIII. Cotton— IX. Pepper— X. Wheat— XI. Sugar Cane— 

XII. Bamboo— XIII. The Buffalo 305 

Agricultural Implements. — I. The Indian Plough— II. Yoke 
for the Buffaloes— III. Lilit, or the Indian Sickle — IV. The 
. Comb Harrow— V. Guiligen, or Hand-Mill — VI. The Moriar. 334 

Appendix.— I. Testimony of M. Gabriel Lafond 337 

II. Testimony of H. Hamilton Lindsay, Esq. . . . 340 
Account of a Visit to the Cave of San Maiteo, in 

the neighbom-hood of Manilla 342 

in. Testimony of M. Dumont d'Urville 366 

IV. Testimony of Admiral Laplace ....... 362 

V, Testimony of M. Mallat 372 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



FEONTISEIECE, A NATIVE WOMAN CARRIED OFF BY A Caymajm 

Titus Page, Portrait of the Author. 

Nantes 

Saving the Life of Captain Drouant 

Mouth of the Bat of Manilla . 

Spanish Metis, or Half-Breeds 

Chinese Metis, or Half-Breeds 

Spanish Metis of the Superior Class 

Bridge of Manilla -. 

Stag Hunting in the Marigondon Mountains 

Passage-boat on the Kiver Pasig 

Tagal Indians pounding Kice 

Father Miguel 

Shooting a Buffalo 

Horns of the Buffalo 

The House at Jala-Jala 

Herd of Wild Buffaloes . 

Tagal Cock-fighting . 

Tagal Indians 

Ilocos Indians 

The Brain Fkast . ^r 

G-TTiNAN Indians - 



Page 

17 
22 
32 
36 
37 
47 
SO 
62 
70 
82 
86 
93 
93 
95 
98 
101 
103 
106 
112 
117 



LIST Ui'' ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Weapons op the Tinguian Indians .... 
BiKANGAS Indians — Inhabitants of Boilacan 

Fishing Eaft 

Thk House of Ta PLANOt^JF 

Church op Pandacan, in the IjInvirons of Inianilla 

Hunting Party at Jala- Jala 

Cascade near Jala-Jala 

View at San-Mateo 

Portrait of Dumont d'Urville 

A Tagal Indian Dwelling . 

Young Tagal Indian and his Betkothrd 

Attacking a Cayman . 

Boa-Constrictor and Wild Boar 

Attacking a Boa-Constrictor . 

EiCE Stacking in the Philippines 

The Locust 

View on the River Pasig . 

A.7ETAS Indians 

La Gironiere in Hunting Dress 

The Cocoa-Nut .... 

The Banana . . . . ' . 

Traversing an Indian Porest . 

Pruit op the Palm Tree . . . 

Inhabitants op Binangonan de Lampon 

View op Manilla from the Environs 

The Indian Plough 

Yoke for the Buffaloes . 

LiLiT, or the Indian Sickle 

The Comb Harrow 

A GrUILIGEN, OR-HaND-MiLL . 

The Mortal; .... 



336 



PREFACE. 



On hearing a recital of some adventures whieli had 
occurred to me during my long voyages, many of my 
friends have frequently begged of me to publish a narra- 
tive of them, which might perhaps be interesting. 

" Nothing can be more easy for you," they said, " as 
you have always kept a journal since your departure from 
France. 

I hesitated, however, to follow their advice, or to yield 
to then' wishes, when I was one day surprised to see my 
name in one of thefeuilletons of the " GonstitutionneV 

M. Alexandre Dumas was publishing, under the title 
of " The Thousand- and- One Phantoms," a romance, one 
of the principal personages of which, in a voyage to the 
Philippine Islands, must have known me when I was 
residing at Jala- Jala, in the colony that I founded there. 



XlV PREFACE. 

It must be evident that the lively romancist has ranked 
me in the category of his Thousand-and-One Phantoms ; 
but, to prove to the pubhc that I am really in existence, 
I have resolved to take up the pen, under an impression 
that facts of the most scrupulous veracity, and which can 
be attested by some hundreds of persons, might possess 
some interest, and be read without ennui, by those 
especially who are desirous of learning the customs of 
the savage tribes amongst whom 1 have resided. 



TWENTY YEARS 



THE PHILIPPINES, 




CHAPTEE I. 

A Family Sketch— My Youthful Days— I Study for the Medical Profession — 
Obtain a Naval Surgeon's Diploma— Early Voyages — Sail for Manilla in 
the Cultivateur — Adventurous Habits — Cholera and Massacre at Manilla 
and Cavite — Captain Drouant's Rescue — Personal Dangers and Timely 
Escapes — How Business may make Friends of one's Enemies — An Un- 
principled Captain — Tranquillity restored at Manilla — Pleasures of the 
Chase — The Cultivateur sails without me — First Embarrassments. 

MY father was bom at Nantes, and held, the rank of captain 
in the regiment of Auvergne. The Revolution caused 
him the loss of his commission and his fortune, and left him, as 
sole remaining resource, a little property called La PloMche, 

B 



18 TAVENTY YEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

belonging to my mother, and situate about two leagues from 
Nantes, in the parish of Vertoux. 

At the commencement of the Empire he wished to enter 
the service again ; but at that period his name was an obstacle, 
and he failed in every attempt to obtain even the rank of 
lieutenant. With scarcely the means of existence, he retired 
to La Planche with his family. There he lived for some years, 
suffering the grief and the many annoyances caused by the 
sudden change from opulence to want, and by the impossi- 
bility of supplying all the requirements of his numerous family. 
A short illness terminated his distressed existence, and his mortal 
remains were deposited in the cemetery of Vertoux. My mother, 
a pattern of courage and devotedness, remained a widow, with 
six children, two girls and four boys ; she continued to reside in 
the country, imparting to us the first elements of instruction. 

The free life of the fields, and the athletic exercises to 
which my elder brothers and I accustomed ourselves, tended 
to make me hardy, and rendered me capable of enduring every 
kind of fatigue and privation. This country life, with its liberty, 
and I may well say its happiness, passed too quickly 'away ; 
and the period soon came when my education compelled me to 
pursue my daily studies in a school at Nantes. I had four 
leagues to Avalk, but I trudged the distance light-heartedly, and 
at night, when I returned home, I ever found awaiting me the 
kind solicitude of our dear mother, and the attentive cares of 
two sisters whom I tenderly loved. 

It was decided that I should enter the medical profession. 
I studied several years at the Hotel-Dieu of ISTantes, and I 
passed my examination for naval surgeon at an age when many 
a young man is shut up within the four walls of a college, still 
prosecuting his studies. 



EAULY VOYAGES SAIL FOR MANILLA. 19 

It would be difficult to form any idea of my joy when I 
saw myself in possession of my surgeon's diploma. Thence- 
forward I regarded myself as an important being, about to take 
my place among reasonable and industrious men; and what 
perhaps rendered me still more joyous was, that I could earn 
my own livelihood, and contribute to the comfort of my mother 
and my sisters. 

I was also seized with a strong desire to travel abroad, 
and make myself acquainted with foreign countries. 

Twenty-four hours after my nomination as surgeon I went 
and offered my services to a ship-owner who was about freighting 
a vessel to the East Indies. We were not long in arranging 
terms, and, at forty francs per month, I engaged myself for the 
voyage. 

Within twelve months afterwards I returned home. Who 
can depict the sweet emotions which, as a young man, I felt on 
again beholding my native land? I stayed a month on shore, 
surrounded by the afiectionate attentions of my mother and 
sisters. Despite their assiduities I was seized with ennui. I 
made a second and a third voyage ; then, after having rounded 
the Cape of Good Hope half-a-dozen times, I undertook one 
which separated me from my country during twenty years. 

On the 9th October, 1819, I embarked on board the Cul- 
tivateur, an old half-rotten three-masted vessel, commanded 
by an equally old captain, who, long ashore, had given up navi- 
gating for many years. An old captain with an old ship ! Such 
were the conditions in which I undertook this voyage. I ought, 
however, to add, that I obtained an increase of pay. 

We touched at Bourbon ; we ran along the entire coast of 
Sumatra, a part of Java, the isles of Sonde, and that of Banca; 
and at last, towards the end of May, eight months after our 



20 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

departure from Nantes, we arrived in the magnificent bay of 
Manilla. 

The Cultivateur anchored near the little town of Cavite. 
I obtained leave to reside on shore, and took lodgings in Cavite, 
which is situate about five or six leagues from Manilla. 

To make up for my long inactivity on board ship, I eagerly 
engaged in my favorite exercises, exploring the country in all 
directions with my gun upon my shoulder. Taking for a guide 
the first Indian whom I met, I made long excursions, less 
occupied in shooting than in admiring the magnificent scenery. 
I knew a little Spanish, and soon acquired a few Tagaloc 
words. Whether it was for excitement's sake, or from a vague 
desire of braving danger, I know not, but I was particularly 
fond of wandering in remote places, said to be frequented by 
robbers. With these I occasionally fell in, but the sight of 
my gun kept them in check. I may say, with truth, that at 
that period of my fife I had so little sense of danger, that I 
was always ready to put myself forward when there was an 
enemy to fight or a peril to be encountered. 

I had only resided a short time at Cavite when that 
terrible scourge, the cholera, broke out at Manilla, in Sep- 
tember, 1820, and quickly ravaged the whole island. Within 
a few days of its first appearance the epidemic spread rapidly ; 
the Indians succumbed by thousands ; at all hours of the day 
and of the night the streets were crowded with the dead-carts. 
Next to the fright occasioned by the epidemic, quickly suc- 
ceeded rage and despair. The Indians said, one to another, 
that the strangers poisoned the rivers and the fountains, in 
order to destroy the native population and possess themselves 
of the Philippines. 

On the 9th October, 1820, the anniversary of my departure 



FRIGHTFUL MASSACRE AT MANILLA AND C'AVITE. 5^1 

from France, a dreadful massacre commenced at Manilla and 
at Cavite. Poor Dibard, the captain of the Cultivateiir, was 
one of the first victims. Almost aU the French who resided 
at Manilla were slain, and their houses pillaged and destroyed. 
The carnage only ceased when there were no longer any 
victims. One eye-witness escaped this butchery, namely, M. 
Gautrin, a captain of the merchant service, who, at the 
moment I am writing, happens to be residing in Paris. He 
saved his life by his courage and his muscular strength. After 
seeing one of his friends mercilessly cut to pieces, he precipi- 
tated himself into the m.idst of the assassins, with no other 
means of defence than his fists. He succeeded m fighting his 
way through the crowd, but shortly afterwards fell exhausted, 
having received three sabre-cuts upon his head, and a lance- 
thxust in. his body. Fortunately, some soldiers happened to 
pass by at the time, who picked him up and carried him to a 
guard-house, where his wounds were quickly attended to. 

I myself was dodged about Cavite, but I contrived to 
escape, and to reach a pirogue, into which I jumped, and took 
refuge on board the Cultivateur. I had scarcely been there 
ten minutes when I was requested to attend the mate of an 
American vessel, who had just been stabbed on board his ship 
by some custom-house guards. "When I had finished dressing 
the wound, several officers, belonging to the difi^erent French 
vessels lying in the bay, acquainted me that one of their 
brethren. Captain Drouant, of Marseilles, was still ashore, and 
that there might yet be time to save him. There was not a 
moment to lose ; night was approaching, and it was necessary 
to profit by the last half-hour of daylight. I set off" in a 
cutter, and, on nearing the land, I directed my mezi to keep 
the boat afloat, in order to prevent a surprise on the part of the 



'S^ T\\'K\'I'V VKAKS l.\ THE IM lLLU'l'L\L'b. 

Indians, but yet to hug the shore sufficiently close to land 
promptly, in case the captain or myself signaled them. I 
then quickly set about searching for Drouant. 

On reaching a small square, called Fuerta Baga, I ob- 
served a group of three or four hundred Indians. I had a 
presentiment that it was in that direction I ought to prosecute 
my search. I approached, and beheld the unfortunate Drouant, 
pale as a corpse. A furious Indian was on the point of plung- 
ing his kreese ixito his breast. I threw myself between the 
captain and the poignard, violently pushmg on either side the 
murderer and his victim, so as to separate them. "Run!" I 
cried in French ; " a boat awaits you." So great was the stupe- 
faction of the Indians that the captain escaped unpursued. 

It was now time for me to get out of the dangerous situ- 
ation m which I was involved. Four hundred Indians sur- 
rounded me ; the only way of dealing with them was by audacity. 
I said hi Tagaloc to the Indian who had attempted to stab the 
captain: "You are a scoundrel." The Indian sprang toward 
me ; he raised his arm : I struck him on the head with a cane 
which I held in my hand ; he waited in astonishment for a 
moment, and then returned towards his companions to excite 
them. Daggers were drawn on every side ; the crowd formed 
a circle around me, which gradually concentrated. Mysterious 
influence of the white man over his coloured brother I Of all 
these four hundred Indians, not one dared attack me the first ; 
they all wished to strike together. Suddenly a native soldier, 
armed with a musket, broke through the crowd ; he gtruck 
down my adversary, took away his dagger, and holding his 
musket by the bayonet end, he swung it round and round his 
head, thus enlarging the circle at first, and then dispersing a 
portion of my enemies, " Fly, sir !" said my liberator ; " now 




WWV'^ '1^^ ' 



A FiUKJNU IN ISJEED A TIMELY WARNING. 23 

that I am here, no one will touch a hair of your head." In 
fact the crowd divided, and left me a free passage. I was saved, 
without knowing by whom, or for what reason, until the native 
soldier called after me : "You attended my wife who was sick, 
and you never asked payment of me. I now settle my debt." 

As Captain Drouant had doubtless gone off in the cutter, 
'■'u was impossible for me to return on board the Cultivateur. 
I directed my steps towards my lodgings, creepmg along the 
walls, and takmg advantage of the obscurity, when, on turning 
the corner of a street, I fell into the midst of a band of dock- 
yard workmen, armed with axes, and about to proceed to the at- 
tack of the French vessels then in harbor. Here again I owed 
my preservation to an acquaintance, to whom I had rendered 
some service in the practice of my profession. A Metis, or 
half-breed, who had quicldy pushed me into the entry of a house, 
and covered me with his body, said : " Stir not, Doctor Pablo !"* 
When the crowd had dispersed, my protector advised me 
to conceal myself, and above all, not to go on board ; he then 
started off to rejoin his comrades. But all was not yet over. I 
had scarcely entered my lodgings when I heard a knocking at 
the door. 

" Doctor Pablo," said a voice, vi^hich was not unknown to me. 

I opened, and I saw, as pale as death, a Chinese, who kept 
a tea-store on the ground-floor of the same house. 

" What's the matter, Yang-Po ?" . 

" Save yourself, Doctor I" 

" And wherefore ?" 

" Because the Indians will attack you this very night ; they 
have decided upon it I" 

* Pablo signifies Paul, my Christian name. I was always called thus 
at Manilla and at Cavite. 



^4 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

"Is it not your apprehension on ^account of your shop, 
Yang-Po ?" 

" Oh, no I do not treat this matter hghtly. If you remain 
here you are doomed ; you have struck an Indian, and his 
friends cry aloud for vengeance." 

The fears of Yang-Po were, I savi^, too well-foimded ; hut 
what could I do ? To shut my door and await was the safest 
plan. 

" Thanlf you," said I to the Chinese ; " thank you for your 
kind advice, but I shall remam here." 

" Remain here, Signer Doctor ! Can you think of so doing ?" 

" Now, Yaiig-P'o, a service : go and say to these Indians 
that I have, at their service, a brace of pistols and a double- 
barreled gmi, wliich I know how to use." 

The Chinese departed sighing deeply, from a notion that 
the attack upon the Doctor might end in the pillage of his 
wares. I barricaded my door with tlie furniture of the room ; 
I then loaded my weapons, and put out the lights. 

It was now -eight o'clock in the evening. The least noise 
made me think that the moment had arrived when Providence 
alone could save me. I was so fatigued that, despite the 
anxiety natviral to my position, I had frequently to struggle 
agamst an mclination to sleep. Toward eleven o'clock some 
one knocked at my door. I seized my pistols, and listened 
attentively. At a second summons, I approached the door on 
tip-toe. 

" Who's there ?" I demanded. 

A voice replied to me; "We come to save you. Lose not 
an instant. Get out on the roof, and climb over to the other 
side, where we will await you, in the street of the Campanario." 
Then two or three persons descended the stairs rapidly. I had 



ESCAPE FEOM THE INDIANS. 25 

recognised the voice of a Metis, whose good feelings on my 
behalf were beyond doubt. There was now no time to be lost, 
for at the moment I got out of a window which served to 
light the staircase, and led on to the roof, the Indians had 
arrived in front of the house, and in a few minutes were 
breaking and plundering the little I possessed. I quickly 
traversed the roof, and descended into the street of the Cam 
panario, where my new preservers awaited me. They conducted 
me to their dwelling : there, a profound sleep caused me 
quickly to forget the dangers I had passed through. 

The following day my friends prepared a small pirogue to 
convey me on board the Cultivateur, where, apparently, ] 
should be in greater security than on shore. 1 was about to 
embark when one of my preservers handed me a letter which 
he had just received. It was addressed to me, and bore the 
signatures of all the captains whose vessels were lying in the 
harbour, and it informed me that, seeing themselves exposed 
every moment to an attack by the Indians, they were decided 
to raise anchor and seek a wider offing ; but that two among 
them, Drouant and Perroux, had been compelled to leave on 
shore a portion of their possessions, and all their sails and 
fresh water. They entreated me to lend them my assistance, 
and had arranged that a skiff should be placed at my command. 
I communicated this letter to my friends, and declared that J 
would not return on board without endeavouring to satisfy the 
wishes of my countrymen ; it was a question of saving the lives 
of the crews of two vessels, and hesitation was impossible. 
They used every effort to shake my resolution. " If you show 
yourself in any part of the town," said they, "you are lost; 
even supposing the Indians were not to kill you, they would 
not fail to steal every object intrusted to them." I remained 

B 



26 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

immovable, and pointed out to them that it was a question of 
honour and humanity. " Go alone, then !" exclaimed that 
Metis who had contributed the most to my escape ; " not 
one of us will follow you ; we would not have it said that we 
assisted in your destruction." 

I thanked my friends, and, after shaking hands with them, 
passed on through the streets of Cavite, my pistols in my belt, 
and my thoughts occupied as to the best means of extricating 
myself from my perilous position. However, I already knew 
sufl&cient of the Indian character to be aware that boldness 
would conciliate, rather than enrage them. I went towards 
the same landing-pace where once before I had escaped a 
great danger. The shore was covered with Indians, watching 
the ships at anchor. As I advanced, all turned their looks 
upon me ; but, as I had foreseen, the countenances of these 
men, whose feelings had become calmed during the night that 
had intervened, expressed more astonishment than anger. 

" Will you earn money ?" I cried. " To those who work 
with me I will give a dollar at the end of the day." 

A moment's silence followed this proposition ; then one 
of them said : " You do not fear us !" 

"Judge if I am alarmed," I replied, showing him my 
pistols; "with these I could take two lives for one — the 
advantage is on my side." 

My words had a magical effect, and my questioner replied : 

"Put up your weapons; you have a brave heart, and 
deserve to be safe amongst us. Speak ! what do you require ? 
We will follow you." I saw these men, who but yesterday 
would have killed me, now willing to bear me in triumph. I 
then explained to them that I wished to take some articles 
which had been left on shore to my comrades, and to those 



A BARGAIN WITH THE ENEMY. 97 

who assisted me in this object I would give the promised re- 
compense. I told the one who had addressed me to select 
two hundred men, nearly double the number necessary ; during 
the time he made up his party I signaled a skiff to approach 
the shore, and wrote a few words in pencil, in order that the 
boats from the French vessels might be in readiness to receive 
the stores as soon as they were brought to the water's edge. 
I then marched at the head of my Indian troop of two 
hundred men, and by their aid the sails, provisions, biscuits, 
and wines, were soon on board the boats. That which most 
embarrassed me was the transport of a large sum 'of money 
belonging to Captain Drouant. If the Indians had conceived 
the leiast suspicion of this wealth, they would no longer have 
kept faith with me. I therefore determined to fill my own 
pockets with the gold, and to traverse the distance between 
the house and the boats as many times as was necessary to 
embdrk it. There, concealed by the sailors, I deposited piece 
after piece as quietly as possible. In carrying the sails 
belonging to Captain Perroux, a circumstance occurred which 
might have been fatal to me. A few days before the massacre, 
a French sailor, who was working as sail maker, had died of 
the cholera. His alarmed companions wrapped the body in 
a sail, and then hurried on board their ships. My Indians now 
discovered the corpse, which was already in a state of putre- 
faction. Terrified at first, their terror soon changed to fury ; 
for an instant I feared they would fall upon me. 

"Your friends," they cried, "have left this body here 
purposely, that it might poison the air and increase the vio- 
lence of the epidemic." 

" What ! you are afraid of a poor devil dead of the cholera !" 
I said to them, affecting to be as tranquil as possible ; " never 



28 TWENTY YEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

fear, 1 will soon rid you of him;" and, despite the aversion I 
felt, I covered the body with a small sail, and carried it down 
to the beach. There I made a rude grave, in which I placed 
it ; and two pieces of wood, in the shape of a cross, for some 
days indicated the spot where lay the unhappy one, who pro- 
bably had no prayers save mine. 

It had been a busy and agitating day, but towards the even- 
ing I finished my task, and everything was embarked. I paid 
the Indians, and in addition gave them a barrel of spirits. 

I did not fear their intoxication, being the only Frenchman 
there, and when it was dark I got into a boat, and towed a dozen 
casks of fresh water at her stern. Since the previous day I 
had not eaten ; I felt worn out by fatigue and want of food, 
and threw myself down to rest upon the seats of the boat. 
Ere long a mortal chilliness passed through my veins, and I 
became insensible. In this state I remained more than an 
hour. At last I reached the Cultivateur, and was taken on 
board, and, by the aid of friction, brandy, and other remedies, 
was restored to consciousness. Food and rest quickly renovated 
my powers of mind and body, and the next day I was calm as 
usual among my comrades. I thought of my personal posi- 
tion ; the events of the two last days made the review ex- 
tremely simple. I had~lost everything. A small venture of 
merchandise, in which I invested the savings of my previous 
voyages, had been intrusted to the captain for sale at Manilla. 
These goods were destroyed, together with all I possessed, at 
Cavite. There remained to me but the clothes I had on — a 
few old things I could wear only on board ship — and thirty- two 
dollars. I was but a littleric her than Bias. Unfortunately 
I recollected that an English captain — whose ship I had seen 
in the roads — owed me something like a hundred dollars. In 



A DISHONEST TAR — TEANQUILLITY RESTORED. 99 

my present circumstances this sum appeared a fortune. The 
captain in question, from fear of the Indians, had dropped 
down as far as Maribele, at the entrance of the bay, ten 
leagues from Cavite. To obtain payment it was necessary I 
should go on board his vessel. I borrowed a boat, and the 
services of four sailors, from Captain Perroux, and departed. 
1 reached the ship at dusk. The unprincipled captain, who 
knew himself to be in deep water and safe from pursuit, re- 
plied that he did not understand what I was saying to him. 
I insisted upon being paid, and he laughed in my face. I 
was treated as a cheat. He threatened to have me thrown 
into the sea ; in short, after a useless discussion, and at the 
moment when the captain called five or sis of his sailors to execute 
his threat, I retreated to my boat. The night was dark, and 
as a violent and contrary wind had sprung up, it was impossible 
to regain the ship, so we passed the night floating upon the 
waves, ignorant as to the direction we were going. In the 
morning I discovered our efforts had been thrown away ; 
Cavite was far behind us. The wind becoming calmer, we 
again commenced rowing, and two hours after noon reached 
the ship. 

Meanwhile tranquillity was restored at Cavite and Manilla. 
The Spanish authorities took measures to prevent a recurrence 
of the frightful scenes I have detailed, and the priests 
of Cavite launched a public excommunication against all those 
who had attempted my life. I attributed this solicitude to the 
character of my profession, being in fact the only ^sculapius in 
the place. When I left the town the sick were obliged to 
content themselves with the hazardous presumptions of Indian 
sorcerers. One, morning, I had almost decided upon return- 
ing to land, when an Indian, in a smartly decorated pirogue 



80 TWENTT YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

came alongside the Cultivateur. I liad met this man in some 
of my shooting excursions, and he now proposed that I should 
go -with him to his house, situated ten leagues from Cavite, 
near the mountains of Marigondon. The prospect of some 
good sport soon decided me to accept this offer. Taking with 
me my thirty-two dollars and double-harreled gun — in fact, my 
"whole fortune — I intrusted myself to this friend, whose ac- 
quaintance I had just made. His little habitation was de- 
lightfully situated, in the cool shadow of the palm and yang- 
yang — immense trees, whose flowers spread around a delicious 
perfume. Two charming Indian girls were the Eves of this 
paradise. My good friend kept the promises he had made me 
on leaving the vessel ; I was treated both by himself and family 
with every attention and kindness. 

Hunting was my principal amusement, and, above all, the 
chase of the stag, which involves violent exercise. I was still 
ignorant of wild-buffalo hunting, of "which, however, I shall 
have to speak later in my narrative ; and I often requested my 
host to give me a taste of this sport, but he always refused, 
saying it was too dangerous. For three weeks I lived with the 
Indian family without receiving any news from Manilla, when 
one morning, a letter came from the first mate — who, on the 
death of the unfortunate Dibard, had taken the command of the 
Cultivateur — telling me he was about to sail, and that I must 
go on board at once if I wished to leave a country which had 
been so fatal to all of us. This summous was already several 
days old, and despite the reluctance I felt to quit the Indian's 
pleasant retreat, it was necessary that I should prepare to 
start. I presented my gun to my kind host, but had nothing 
to give his daughters, for to have offered them money would 
have been an insult. The next day I arrived at Manilla, still 



LEFT IN THE LUBCH — FIRST EMBARRASSMENTS. 31 

thinking of the cool shade of the palm and the perfumed 
flowers of the yang-yang. My first impulse was to go to the 
quay ; but, alas ! the Cultivateur had sailed, and I had the 
misery of beholding her already far away in the horizon, moving 
sluggishly before a gentle breeze towards the mouth of the bay. 
I asked some Indian boatmen to take me to the ship ; they 
replied that it might be practicable if the wind did not freshen, 
but demanded twelve dollars to make the attempt. I had but 
twenty-five remaining. I considered for a few moments, should 
I not reach the vessel, what would become of me in a remote 
colony, where I knew no one, and my stock of money reduced 
to thirteen dollars, and with no articles of dress than those 1 
had on — a white jacket, trousers, and striped shirt. A sud- 
den thought crossed my mind : what if I were to remain at 
Manilla, and practise my profession? Young and inexpe- 
rienced, I ventured to think myself the cleverest physician 
in the Philippine Islands. Who has not felt this self confi- 
dence so natural to youth ? I turned my back upon the ship, 
and walked briskly into Manilla. 

Before continuing this recital, let me describe the capital 
of the Philippines. 



mm. 



Wk^iL^'mn 






Mouth of the Bay of Manillia. 



CHAPTEE IL 

Descriptionof Manilla— The two Towns— Gaiety of Binondoc— Dances— Gaming 
—Beauty of the Women— Their Fascinating Costume— Male Costume— The 
Military Town— Personal Adventures— My First Patient— His Generous Con- 
fldence— Commencement of my Practice— The Artificial Eye— Brilliant Suc- 
cess — The Charming Widow — Auspicious Introduction — My Marriage — 
Treachery and Fate of Itm-bide- -Our Loss of Fortune— Return to Franse 
postponed. 

lyrANILLA and its suburbs contain a population of about 

one hundred and fifty thousand souls, of which Spaniards 

and Creoles hardly constitute the tenth part ; the remainder 

is composed of Tagalocs, or Indians, Metis, and Chinese, 



DESCRIPTION OF MANILLA THE TWO TOWNS. B'd 

The city is divided into two sections — the military and the 
mercantile— the latter of which is the suburb. The former, 
surrounded by lofty walls, is bounded by the sea on one side, 
and upon another by an extensive plain, where the troops are 
exercised, and where of an evening the indolent Creoles, lazily ex- 
tended in their carriages, repair to exhibit their elegant dresses 
and to inhale the sea-breezes. This public promenade — where 
intrepid horsemen and horsewomen, and European vehicles, 
cross each other in every direction — may be styled the Ohamps- 
Elysees, or the Hyde Park, of the Indian Archipelago. On a 
third side, the military town is separated from the trading town 
by the river Pasig, upon which are seen all the day boats laden 
with merchandize, and charming gondolas conveying idlers to 
different parts of the suburbs, or to visit the ships in the bay. 

The military town communicates by the bridge of Binon- 
doc with the mercantile town, inhabited principally by the 
Spaniards engaged in public affairs; its aspect is dull and 
monotonous ; all the streets, perfectly straight, are bordered 
by wide granite footpaths. In general, the highways are 
macadamised, and kept in good condition. Such is the effemi- 
nacy of the people, they could not endure the noise of carriages 
upon pavement. The houses — large and spacious, palaces 
in appearance — are built in a particular manner, calculated to 
withstand the earthquakes and hurricanes so frequent in this 
part of the world. They have all one story, with a ground- 
floor ; the upper part, generally occupied by the family, is sur- 
rounded by a wide gallery, opened or shut by means of large 
sliding panels, the panes of which are thin mother-of-pearl. 
The mother-of-pearl permits the passage of light to the apart- 
ments, and excludes the heat of the sun. In the military 
town are all the monasteries and convents, the archbishopric, 

c 



34 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

the courts of justice, the custom-house, the hospital, the 
governor's palace, and the citadel, which overlooks both towns. 
There are three principal entrances to Manilla — Puerta Santa 
Lucia, Puerta Real, and Puerta Parian. 

At one o'clock the drawbridges are raised, and the gates 
pitilessly closed, when the tardy resident must seek his night's 
lodging in the suburb, or mercantile town, called Binondoc. 
This portion of Manilla wears a much gayer and more lively 
aspect than the military section. There is less regularity 
in the streets, and the buildings are not so fine as those in what 
may be called Manilla proper ; but in Binondoc all is move- 
ment, all is life. Numerous canals, crowded with pirogues, gon- 
dolas, and boats of various kinds, intersect the suburb, where 
reside the rich merchants — Spanish, English, Indian, Chinese, 
and Metis. The newest and most elegant houses are built 
upon the banks of the river Pasig. Simple in exterior, they 
contain the most costly inventions of English and Indian 
luxury. Precious vases from China, Japan ware, gold, silver, 
and rich silks, dazzle the eyes on entering these unpretending 
habitations. Each house has a landing-place from the river, 
and little bamboo palaces, serving as bathing-houses, to which 
the residents resort several times daily, to relieve the fatigue 
caused by the intense heat of the climate. The cigar manufactory 
v'liich affords employment continually to from fifteen to twentj 
thousand workmen and other assistants, is situated in Binondoc ; 
also the Chinese custom-house, and all the large working 
establishments of Manilla. During the day, the Spanish 
ladies, richly dressed in the transparent muslins of India and 
China, lounge about from store to store, and sorely test the 
patience of the Chinese salesman, who unfolds uncomplainingly, 
and without showing the least ill-humour, thousands of pieces 



DANCES — GAMING BEAUTY OF THE WOMEN. .SO 

of goods before his customers, which are frequently examined 
simply for amusement, and not half a yard purchased. The 
balls and entertainments, given by the half-breeds of Binondoc 
to their friends, are celebrated throughout the Philippines. 
The quadi-illes of Europe are succeeded by the dances of 
India, and while the young people execute the fandango, the 
bolero, the cachucha, or the lascivious movements of the 
bayaderes, the enterprising half-breed, the indolent Spaniard, 
and the sedate Chinese, retire to the gaming saloons, to try 
their fortune at cards and dice. The passion for play is 
carried to such an extent, that the traders lose or gain in 
one night sums of 50,000 piasters (£10,000 sterling). The 
half-breeds, Indians, and Chinese, have also a great passion 
for cock-fighting ; these combats take place in a large arena. 
I have seen £1,500 betted upon a cock which had cost £150 ; 
in a few minutes this costly champion fell, struck dead by his 
antagonist. In fine, if Binondoc be exclusively the city of 
pleasure, luxury, and activity, it is also that of amorous 
intrigues and gallant adventures. In the evening, Spaniards, 
English, and French, go to the promenades to ogle the 
beautiful and facile half-breed women, whose transparent robes 
reveal their splendid figures. That which distinguishes the 
female half-breeds (Spanish-Tagals, or Chinese-Tagals) is a 
singularly intelligent and expressive physiognomy. Their hair, 
drawn back from the face, and sustained by long golden pins, 
is of marvellous luxuriance. They wear upon the head a 
kerchief, transparent like a veil, made of the pine fibre, finer 
than our finest cambric ; the neck is ornamented by a string 
of large coral beads, fastened by a gold medallion. A 
transparent chemisette, of the same stuff as the head-dress, 
descends as far as the waist, covering, but not concealing, a 



36 



TWENTY XEAES IN THE PHIUPPINES. 




Spanish Metis, or Half-Breeds. 



bosom that has never been imprisoned in stays. Below, and 
two or three inches from the edge of the chemisette, is 
attached a variously coloured petticoat of very bright hues. 
Over this garment, a large and costly silk sash closely encircles 
the figure, and shows its outline from the waist to the knee. 
The small and white feet, always naked, are thrust into em- 
broidered slippers, which cover but the extremities. Nothing 
can be more charming, coquettish, and fascinating, than this 
costume, which excites in the highest degree the admiration 
of strangers. The half-breed and Chinese Tagals know so 
well the effect it produces on the Europeans, that nothing 
would induce them to alter it. 

While on the subject of dress, that of the men is also 



tfOSTUME THE MIIJTARY TOWN. 



37 




Chinese Metis, ot Half-Breeda. 



worthy of remark. The Indian and the half-hreed wear upon 
the head a large straw hat, black or white, or a sort of Chinese 
covering, called a salacote ; upon the shoulders, the pine fibre 
kerchief embroidered ; and round the neck, a rosary of coral 
beads ; their shirts are also made from the fibres of the pine, 
or of vegetable silk ; trousers of coloured silk, with embroidery 
near the bottom, and a girdle of red China crape, complete 
their costume. The feet, without stockings, are covered with 
European shoes. 

The military town, so quiet during the day, assumes a 
more lively appearance towards the evening, when the inhabit- 
ants ride out in their very magnificent carriages, which are 
invariably conducted by postilions ; they then mix with the 



38 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

■walking population of Binondoc. Afterwards visits, balls, 
and the more intimate reunions take place At the latter 
they talk, smoke the cigars of Manilla, and cTaew the betel,* 
drink glasses of iced eau sucree, and eat innumerable sweet- 
meats ; towards midnight those guests retire who do not stay 
supper with the family, which is always served luxuriously, and 
generally prolonged until two o'clock in the morning. Such is 
the life spent by the wealthy classes under these skies so favoured 
by Heaven. But there exists, as in Europe, and even to a 
greater extent, the most abject misery, of which I shall speak 
hereafter, throwing a shade over this brilliant picture. 

I shall now return to my personal adventures. While I 
spoke with the Indians upon the shore, I had noticed a young 
European standing not many paces from me ; I again met him 
on the road I took towards Manilla, and I thought I would 
address him. This young man was a surgeon, about returning 
to Europe. I partly told him the plans I wished to form, 
and asked him for some information respecting the city where 
I purposed locating myself. He readily satisfied my inquiries, 
and encouraged me in the resolution to exercise my profession 
in the Philippine Islands. He had himself, he said, con 
ceived the same project, but family affairs obliged him to 
return to his country. I did not conceal the misfortune of my 
position, and observed that it would be almost impossible to 
pay visits in the costume, worse than plain, which I then wore. 

" That is of no consequence," he replied ; "I have all you 
would require : a coat almost new, and six capital lancets. I 

* The betel is a species of pepper plnnt, the leaves of which are wrapped 
round areca nuts and the chunam— the latter is a kind of burnt-lime made 
of shells, and the areca nut is the fruit of a species of palm. The Indians, 
Chinese, half-breeds, and a great number ofCreoles, continually chew this 
mixture, which is reputed to sweeten the breath and assist digestion. 



MY FIEST PATIENT. 39 

will sell you these things for their cost price in France ; they 
will be a great bargain." The affair was soon concluded. He 
took me to his hotel, and I shortly left it encased in a garment 
sufficiently good, but much too large and too long for me. 
Nevertheless, it was some time since I had seen myself so 
well clad, and I could not help admiring my new acquisition. 

I had hidden my poor little white jacket in my hat, and 
I strode along the causeway of Manilla more proud than Arta- 
ban himself. I was the owner of a coat and six lancets ; but 
there remained, for all my fortune, the sum of one dollar 
only; this consideration slightly tempered the joy that I 
felt in gazing on my brilliant costume. I thought of where 
I could pass the night, and subsist on the morrow and the 
following days, if the sick were not ready for me. 

Eeflecting thus I slowly wandered from Binondoc to the 
military town, and from the military town back to Binondoc, — 
when, suddenly, a bright idea shot across my brain. At 
Cavite I had heard spoken of a Spanish captain, by name 
Don Juan Porras, whom an accident had rendered almost 
blind. I resolved to seek him, and offer my services; it 
remained but to find his residence. I addressed a hundred 
persons, but each replied that he did not know, and passed 
on his way. An Indian who kept a small shop, and to whom 
I spoke, relieved my trouble : " If the senor is a captain," 
he said, " your excellency would obtain his address at the 
first barrack on your road." I thanked him, and eagerl}' 
followed his counsel. At the infantry barracks, where I pre- 
sented myself, the officer on duty sent a soldier to guide me 
to the captain's dwelling : it was time, the night had already 
fallen. Don Juan Porras was an Andalusian, a good man, and 
of an extremely cheerful disposition. I found him with his 



40 TWENTY YEARS TN THE PHILIPPINES. 

head wrapped in a Madras handkerchief, busied in completely 
covering his eyes with two enormous poultices. 

" Senor Captain," I said, " I am a physician, and a skilful 
oculist. I have come hither to take care of you, and I am 
fully convinced that I shall cure you." 

" Basta" (enough is said), was his answer ; " all the phy- 
sicians in Manilla are asses." 

This more than sceptical reply did not discourage me. I re- 
solved to turn it to account. " My opinion is precisely the same 
as yours," I promptly answered ; " and it is because I am strongly 
convinced of the ignorance of the native doctors, that I have 
made up my mind to come and practise in the Philippines." 

" Of what nation are you, sir ? " 

" I am a Frenchman." 

" A French physician ! " cried Don Juan ; " Ah ! that is 
quite another matter. I ask your pardon for having spoken 
so irreverently of men of your profession. A French physician ! 
I put myself entirely into your hands. Take my eyes, Senor 
Medico, and do what you will with them ! " 

The conversation was taking a favourable turn : I hastened 
to broach the principal question : 

"Your eyes are very bad, Senor Captain," said I ; "to 
accomplish a speedy cure, it is absolutely necessary that I 
should never quit you for a moment." 

"Would you consent to come and pass some time with 
me, doctor?" 

Here was the principal consideration settled. 

"I consent," replied I, "but on one condition; namely, 
that I shall pay you for my board and lodging." 

" That shall not part us — you are free to do so," said the 
worthy man ; " and so the matter is settled. I have a nice room. 



COMMENCEMENT OF MY PRACTICE. 41 

and a good bed, all ready ; there is nothing to do but to send 
for your baggage. I will call my servant." 

The terrible word, "baggage," sounded in my ears like 
a knell. I cast a melancholy look at the crown of my hat — 
my only portmanteau — within which were deposited all my 
clothes — consisting of my little white jacket ; and I feared 
Don Juan would take me for some runaway sailor trying to 
dupe him. There was no retreat ; so I mustered my courage, 
and briefly related my sad position, adding that I could not 
pay for my board and lodging until the end of the mouth — 
if I was so fortunate as to find patients. Don Juan Porras 
listened to me very quietly. When my tale was told he burst 
into a loud laugh, which made me shiver from head to foot. 

" Well," cried he, " I am well pleased it should be so; you 
are poor : you will have more time to devote to my malady, and a 
greater interest in curing me. What think you of the syllogism ?" 

" It is excellent, Senor Captain, and before long you will 
find, I hope, that I am not the man to compromise so dis- 
tinguished a logician as yourself. To-morrow morning I will 
examine your eyes, and I will not leave you till I have radically 
cured them." 

We talked for some time longer in this joyous strain, after 
which I retired to my chamber, where the most delightful 
dreams visited my pillow. 

The next day I rose early, put on my doctoral coat, and 
entered the chamber of my host. I examined his eyes ; they 
were in a dreadful state. The sight of one was not only 
destroyed, but threatened the life of the sufferer. A cancer 
had formed, and the enormous size it had attained rendered 
the result of an operation doubtful. The left eye contained 
many fibres, but there was hope of saving it. I frankly ac- 



4Q TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

quainted Don Juan with my fears and hopes, and insisted 
upon the entire removal of the right eye. The Captain, at 
first astonished, decided courageously upon submitting to the 
operation, which I accomplished on the following day with 
complete success. Shortly afterwards the inflammatory symp- 
toms disfippeared, and I could assure my host of a safe recovery. 
I then bestowed all my attention upon the left eye. I desired 
the more ardently to restore to Don Juan his vision, from the 
good effect I was convinced his case would produce at Manilla. 
For me it would be fortune and reputation. Besides, I had 
already acquired, in the few days, some slight patronage, and 
was -in a position to pay for my board and lodging at the end 
of the month. After six weeks' careful treatment Don Juan 
was perfectly cured, and could use his eye as well as he did 
previous to his accident. Nevertheless, to my great regret, 
the Captain still continued to immure himself; his re-ap- 
pearance in society, which he had forsaken for more than a 
year, would have produced an immense sensation, and I 
should have been considered the first doctor in the Philip- 
pines. One day I touched upon this delicate topic- 

Senor Captain," said I, " what are you thinking about, 
to remain thus shut up between four walls, and why do you not 
resume your old habits ? You must go and visit your friends, 
your acquaintances." 

" Doctor," interrupted Don Juan, " how can I show myself 
in public with an eye the less? When I pass along the 
street all the women would say : ' There goes Don Juan the 
One-eyed ! ' No, no ; before I leave the house you must get 
me an artificial eye from Paris." 

" You don't mean that ? It would be eighteen months 
before the eye arrived." 



THE AETIFICIAL EYE. 43 

"Then here goes for eighteen months' seclusion," said 
Don Juan. 

I persisted for upwards of an hour, but the Captain would 
not listen to reason. He carried his coquetry so far that, 
although I had covered the empty orbit with black silk, he 
had his shutters closed whenever visitors came ; so that, as 
they always found him in the dark, none would credit his 
cure. I was very anxious to thwart Don Juan's obstinacy, 
as may well be imagined ; I had not the time to waste, during 
eighteen months, in dancing attendance at fortune's door ; 
therefore I determined to make this eye myself, without 
which the coquetish captain would not be seen. I took some 
pieces of glass, a tube, and set to work. After many fruitless 
attempts, I at last succeeded in obtaining the perfect form of 
an eye ; but this was not all — it must be coloured to resemble 
nature. I sent fijr a poor carriage-painter, who managed to 
imitate tolerably well the left eye of Don Juan, It was 
necessary to preserve this painting from contact with the tears, 
which would soon have destroyed it. To accomplish this I 
had made by a jeweller a silver globe, smaller than the glass 
eye, inside which 1 united it by means of sealing-wax. I 
carefully polished the edges upon a stone, and after eight days' 
labour I obtained a satisfactory result. The eye which I had 
succeeded in producing was really not so bad after all. I was 
anxious to place it within the vacant orbit. It somewhat inconve- 
nienced the Senor Don Juan, but I persuaded him that he 
would soon become accustomed to it. Placing across his nose 
a pair of spectacles, he examined himself in the looking-glass, 
and was so satisfied with his appearance that he decided on 
commencing his visits the following day. 

As I had anticipated, the re-appearance in the world of 



44 TWENTY YEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

Captain Juan Porras made a great sensation, and soon the 
consequence was, that Senor Don Pablo, the eminent French 
physician — most especially the clever oculist — was much spoken 
of. From all quarters patients came to me. Notwithstanding 
my youth and inexperience, my first success gave me such 
confidence that I performed several operations upon persons 
afflicted with cataracts, which succeeded most fortunately. I 
no longer sufficed to my large connection, and in a few days, 
from the greatest distress, I attained perfect opulence : I 
had a carriage-and-four in my stables. I could not, however, 
notwithstanding this change of fortune, resign myself to leave 
Don Juan's house, out of gratitude for the hospitality he so 
generously ofiered me. In my leisure hours he kept me 
company, and amused me with the recital of his battle stories 
and personal adventures. I had already spent nearly six 
months with him, when a circumstance, which forms an epoch 
in my life, changed my existence, and compelled me to quit 
the lively captain. One of my American friends often called 
my attention in our walks towards a young lady in mourning, 
who passed for one of the prettiest senoras of the town. Each 
time we met her my American friend never failed to praise 
the beauty of the Marquesa de Las Salinas. She was about 
eighteen or nineteen years of age ; her features were both 
regular and placid ; she had beautiful black hair, and large 
expressive eyes ; she was the widow of a colonel in the guards, 
who married her when almost a child. The sight of this 
young lady produced so lively an impression upon me, that 
I explored all the saloons at Binondoc, to endeavour to meet 
her elsewhere than in my walks. Fruitless attempts ! The 
young widow saw nobody. I almost despaired of finding an 
opportunity of speaking to her, when one morning an Indian 



AUSPICIOUS INTRODUCTION MARRIAGE. 45 

came to request me to visit his master. I got into the 
carriage and set off, without informing myself of the name 
of the 'sick person. The carriage stopped before the door of 
one of the finest houses in the Faubourg of Santa- Crux. 
Having examined the patient, and conversed a few minutes 
with him, I went to the table to write a prescription ; suddenly 
I heard the rustling of a silk dress ; I turned round — the 
pen fell from my hand. Before me stood the very lady I 
had so long sought after — appearing to me as in a dream ! 
My amazement was so great that I muttered a few unin- 
telligible words, and bowed with such awkwardness that she 
smiled. She simply addressed me to inquire the state of her 
nephew's health, and withdrew almost immediately. As to 
myself, instead of making my ordinary calls, I returned home ; 
questioned Don Juan minutely about Madame de Las Salinas : 
he entirely satisfied my curiosity. He was acquainted with 
all the family of this youthful widow, and they were highly 
respected in the colony. The next morning, and following 
days, 1 returned to this charming widow, who graciously con 
descended to receive me with favour. These details being so 
completely personal, I pass them over. Six months after my 
first interview with Madame de Las Salinas, I asked her hand, 
and obtained it. I had therefore found, at more than five 
thousand leagues from my country, both happiness and wealth. 
I agreed that we should go to France as soon as my wife's 
property, the greater part of which lay in Mexico, should be 
realised. In the meantime my house was the rendezvous 
of foreigners, particularly of the French, who were already 
rather numerous at Manilla. At this period the Spanish 
government named me Surgeon-Major of the 1st Light Regi- 
ment, and of the first battalion of the militia of Panjanga. 



46 TWENTY YEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

Having been so successful in so short a time, I neyer once 
doubted but that fortune would continue to bestow her smiling 
favours upon me. I had already prepared everything for my 
return to France ; for we hourly expected the arrival of the 
galleons that plied from Acapulco to Manilla, which were to 
bring my wife's fortune. Her fortune was no less than 
700,000 francs (^638,000 sterling). 

One evening, as we were taking tea, we were informed 
that the vessels from Acapulco had been telegraphed, and that 
the next morning they would be in ; our piasters were to be 
on board ; I leave you to guess if our wishes were not gratified. 
But, alas ! how our hopes were frustrated : the vessels did 
not bring us a single piaster. This is what occurred : five or 
six millions were sent by land from Mexico to San Bias, the 
place of embarkation, and the Mexican government had the 
van escorted by a regiment of the line, commanded by Colonel 
Iturbide. On the journey he took possession of the van, 
and fled with his regiment into the independent states. It 
is well known that later Iturbide was proclaimed Emperor 
of Mexico, then dethroned, and at last shot, after an expedition 
that offers more than one analogy with that of Murat. The 
very day of the arrival of the vessels we learnt that our fortune 
was entirely lost, without even hopes of regaining the smallest 
part. My wife and self supported this event with tolerable 
philosophy. It was not the loss of our piasters that distressed 
us the most, but the necessity we were in to abandon, or R.S 
least to postpone, our journey to France. 




Spanish Metis of the superior cia&s. 



CHAPTER III. 

Continued Prosperity in Practice — Attempted Political Revolution — Desperate 
Street Engagement — Subjugation of the Insurgents — The Emperor of a Day 
— Dreadful Executions — Illness and Insanity of my Wife — Her Recovery 
and Relapse — Removal to the Country — Beneficial Results — Dangerous 
Neighbours — Repentant Banditti — Fortunate Escape — The Anonymous 
Friend — A Confiding Wife — Her Final Recovery, and our Domestic Happi- 
ness Restored. 



"TXE SPITE the misfortune I have alluded to, I kept up 



V 



my house in the same style as before. My connec- 



tion, and the different posts I occupied, permitted me to lead 
the life of a grandee belonging to the Spanish colonies ; and 
probably I should have made my fortune in a few years, if 



48 TWENTY TEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

I had continued in the medical profession, but the Vfish for 
unlimited liberty caused me to abandon all these advantages 
for a life of peril and anxiety. At the same time do not let 
us anticipate too suddenly, and let the reader patiently peruse 
a few more pages about Manilla, and various events wherein 1 
figured, either as actor or witness, before taking leave of a 
sybarite citizen's li?fe 

I was, as I said before, surgeon-major of the 1st Light 
Regiment of the line, and on intimate terms with the staff, and 
more particularly with Captain Novales, a Creole by birth, pos- 
sessing a courageous and venturesome disposition. He was sus- 
pected of endeavouring to e-ieite his regiment to rebel in behalf 
of the Independence. An inquiry was consequently instituted, 
which ended withoutproof of the captain's culpability; neverthe- 
less, as the governor still maintained his suspicious, he gave 
orders for him to be sent to one of the southern provinces, under 
the inspection of an alcaide. Novales came to see me the morn- 
ing of his departure, and complained bitterly of the injustice of 
the governor towards him, and added that those who had no 
confidence in his honour would repent, and that he would soon 
be back. I endeavoured to pacify him : we shook hands, and in 
the evening he went on board the vessel commissioned to take 
Jaim to his destination. The night after Novales departure, I 
was startled out of my sleep by the report of fire-arms. I 
immediately dressed myself in my uniform, and hastened to 
the barracks of my regiment. The streets were deserted; 
sentinels were stationed at about fifty paces apart. I under- 
stood that an extraordinary event had occurred in some part 
of the town. When I reached the barracks I was no little 
astonished to find the gates wide open, the sentry's box vacant, 
and not a soldier within. I went into the infirmary, set apart 



ATTEMPTED POLITICAL REVOLUTION. 49 

for the special service of the cholera patients, and there a 
Serjeant told me that the bad weather had compelled the 
vessel that was taking Novales into exile to return into the 
port ; that about one o'clock in the morning, Novales, accom- 
panied by Lieutenant Ruiz, came to the barracks, and having 
made himself certain of the votes of the Creole non-commissioned 
oflBcers, put the regiment under arms, took possession of the 
gates, and proclaimed himself Emperor of the Philippines. 

This extraordinary intelligence caused me some anxiety. 
My regiment had openly revolted ; if I joined it, and were 
defeated, I should be considered a traitor, and, as such, shot; 
if, on the contrary, I fought against it, and the rebels proved 
victorious, I knew Novales sufficiently well to be convinced that 
he would not spare me. Nevertheless I could not hesitate : duty 
bound me to the Spanish government, by which I had been so 
well treated. I left the barracks, rambling where chance might 
lead me. I shortly found myself at the head-quarters of the artil- 
lery ; an officer behind the gate stood observing me. I v/ent up 
to him, and asked him whether he was for Spain. Upon his 
answering me in the affirmative, I begged him to open the 
gate, declaring that I wished to join his party, and would 
willingly offer my services as surgeon to them. I went in, and 
took the commander's orders, which soon showed me how 
matters stood. During the night Ruiz went, in the name of 
Novales, to General Folgueras, the commander during the 
absence of Governor Martines, who was detained at his country 
house, a short distance from Manilla. He took the guard 
unawares, and seized the keys of the town, after having stabbed 
Folgueras ; from thence he went to the prisons, set the pri- 
soners at liberty, and put in their places the principal men of 
the public offices belonging to the colony. The 1st Regi- 

c 



50 



TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 



ment was on Government Place, ready to engage in battle ; 
twice it attempted to fall unexpectedly upon the artillery and 
citadel, but was driven back. Many expected assistance from 
without, and orders from General Martines to attack the 
rebels. Very soon we heard a discharge of artillery : it was 
General Martines, who, at the head of the Queen's Eegiment, 
broke open Saint Lucy's Gate, and advanced into the besieged 
town. The body of the artillery joined the governor-general, 
and we marched towards Government Place. The insurgents 
placed two cannons at the corner of each street. Scarcely had 
we approached the palace, than we were exposed to a violent 
discharge of loaded muskets. The head chaplain of the regi- 
ment was the first victim. We were then engaged in a street, 
by the side of the fortifications, and from which it was impossible 
to attack the enemy with advantage. General Martines changed 
the position of the attack, and in this condition we came back 
by the street of Saint Isabelle. The troops in two lines followed 





DREADFUL EXECUTIONS, 1 

both sides of the street, and left the road free ; in the mean- 
time the Panpangas regiment, crossing the bridge, reached us 
by one of the opposite streets : the rebels were then exposed to 
the opposite attacks. They nevertheless defended themselves 
furiously, and their sharpshooters did us some harm. No vales 
was everywhere, encouraging his soldiers by words, exploits, 
and example, while Lieutenant Euiz was busy pointing one of 
the cannons, that swept the middle of the street we were 
coming up. At length, after three hours' contest, the rebels 
succumbed. The troops fell upon everything they found, 
and Novales was taken prisoner to the governor's. As to 
Kuiz, although he had received a blow on his arm from a ball, 
he was fortunate enough to jump over the fortifications, and 
succeeded, for the time, in escaping ; three days afterwards he 
was taken. The conflict was scarcely over, than a court-martial 
was held. Novales was tried the first. At midnight he was out- 
lawed ; at two o'clock in the morning proclaimed Emperor; and 
at five in the evening shot. Such changes in fortune are not 
uncommon in Spanish colonies. 

The court-martial, without adjourning, tried, until the 
middle of the following day, all the prisoners arrested with 
arms. The tenth part of the regiment was sent to the hulks, 
and all the non-commissioned officers were condemned to 
death. I received orders to be at Government Place by four 
o'clock, on which spot the executions were to take place ; two 
companies of each, battalion of the garrison, and all the staff, 
were to be present. 

Towards five the doors of the town-hall opened, and 
between a double file of soldiers advanced seventeen non- 
commissioned officers, each one assisted by two monks of the 
order of Misericordia. Mournful silence prevailed, interrupted 



52. TWENTY XEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

every now and then by the doleful beating of the druras, and 
the prayers of the agonising, chanted by the monks. The 
procession moved slowly on, and after some time reached the 
palace ; the seventeen non-commissioned officers were ordered 
to kneel, their faces turned towards the wall. After a lengthened 
beating of the drums the monks left their victims, and at a 
second beating a discharge of muskets resounded : the seven- 
teen young men fell prostrate on the ground. One, however, 
was not dead ; he had fallen with the others, and seemed 
apparently motionless. A few minutes after the monks threw 
their black veils upon the victims : they now belonged to Divine 
justice. I witnessed all that had just happened. I stood a 
few steps from him who feigned death so well, and my heart 
beat with force enough to burst through my chest. Would 
that it had been in my power to lead one of the monks 
towards this unfortunate young man who must have experienced 
such mortal anguish ; but, alas ! after having been so mira- 
culously spared, at the moment the black veil was about to cover 
him, an officer informed the commander that a guilty man 
bad escaped being punished ; the monks were arrested in their 
pious ministry, and two soldiers received orders to approach 
and fire upon the poor fellow. 

I was indignant at this. I advanced towards the informer 
and reproached him for his cruelty; he wished to reply; I 
treated him as a coward, and turned my back to him. Express 
orders from my colonel compelled me to leave my house, to 
assist at this frightful execution ; still, deep anxiety ought to 
have prevented me from so doing, as I will explain. On the eve 
when the battle was over, and the insurgents routed, the dis- 
tress of my dear Anna came across my mind. It was now 
one o'clock in the afternoon, and she had received no tidings 



ILLNESS AND INSANITY OF MY WIFE. 58 

from me since three in the morning ; might she not think me 
dead, or in the midst of the rebellion? Ah! if duty could 
make me forget for a moment she whom I loved more than 
life, now all danger was over her charming image returned to 
my mind. Dearest Anna ! I beheld her pale, agitated ; asking 
herself at each report of the cannon whether it rendered her a 
widow ; when my mind became so agitated that I ran home to 
calm her fears. Having reached my house I went quickly up 
stairs, my heart beating violently ; I paused for a moment at 
her door, then summoning a little courage I entered. Anna 
was kneeling down praying ; hearing my footsteps she raised 
her head, and threw herself into my arms without uttering a 
word At first I attributed this silence to emotion, but, alas ! 
upon examining her lovely face, I saw her eyes looked wild, 
her features contracted : I started back. I discovered in her 
all the symptoms of congestion of the brain. I dreaded 
lest my wife had lost her senses, and this fear alarmed me 
greatly. How fortunate it was that it lay in my power to 
relieve her. I had her placed in bed, and ministered myself to 
her wants. She was tolerably composed ; the few words she 
uttered were inconsistent ; she seemed to think that somebody 
was going to poison or kill her. All her confidence was placed 
in me. During three days the remedies I prescribed and 
administered were useless ; the poor creature derived no 
benefit from them. I therefore determined to consult the 
doctors in Manilla, although I had no great opinion of their 
skill. They advised some insignificant drugs, and declared to 
me that there were no hopes, adding, as a philosophical mode 
of consolation, that death was preferable to the loss of reason. 
I did not agree on this point with these gentlemen : I would 
have preferred insanity to death, for 1 hoped that her madness 



54 TWENTY TEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

would die away by degrees, and eventually disappear altogether 
How many mad people are cured, what numbers daily recover^ 
yet death is the last word of humanity ; and, as a young poet 
has truly said, is "the stone of the tomb." 

Between the world and God a curtain falls ! I determined 
to wage a war against death, and to save my Anna by having 
recourse to the most indisputable resources of science. I 
looked now upon my brotherhood with more contempt than 
ever, and, confident in my love and zealous will, I began my 
struggle with a destiny, tinged indeed with gloomy clouds. I 
shut myself up in the sick-oiiamber, and never left my wife. 
I had great difiiculty in getting her to take the medicaments I 
trusted she would derive so much benefit from ; I was obliged 
to call to my assistance all the influence I had over her, in 
order to persuade her that the draughts I presented to her 
were not poisoned. She did not sleep, but appeared very 
drowsy; these symptoms denoted very clearly great disorder of 
the brain. For nine days she remained in this dreadful state ; 
during which time I scarcely knew whether she was dead or 
alive ; at every moment I besought the Almighty to work a 
miracle in her behalf. One morning the poor creature 
closed her eyes. I cannot describe my feelings of anguish. 
Would she ever awake again? I leant over her; I heard 
her breathing gently, without apparent effort; I felt her 
pulse, it beat calmer and more regular; she was evidently 
better. I stood by her in deep anxiety. She still remained 
in a calm sleep, and at the end of half-an-hour I felt con- 
vinced that this satisfactory crisis would restore my invalid 
tx) life and reason. I sat down by her bed-side, and stayed there 
eighteen hours, watching her slightest movements. At length, 
after such cruel suspense, my patient awoke, as if out of a dream. 



HER RECOVERY AND RELAPSE. 55 

"Have you been long watcliing?" she said, giving me her 
hand : " Have I, then, been very ill ? What care you have taken 
of me ! Luckily you may rest now, for I feel I am recovered." 

I think I have during my life been a sharer of the 
strongest emotions of joy or of sadness man can feel ; but 
never had I experienced such real, heartfelt joy as when I 
heard Anna's words. It is easy to imagine the state of my 
mind in recollecting the bitter grief I was in for ten days ; 
then can be understood the mental anguish 1 felt. Having 
witnessed such strange scenes for a considerable time, it would 
not have been surprising had I lost my senses. I was an 
actor in a furious battle ; I had seen the wounded falling 
around me, and heard the death-rattle. x\fter the frightful 
execution, 1 went home, and there still deeper grief awaited 
me. I had watched by the bed-side of a beloved wife, know- 
ing not whether I should lose her for ever, or see her spared 
to me deprived of reason ; when all at once, as if by a miracle, 
this dear companion of my life, restored to health, threw 
herself into my arms. I wept with her ; my burning eyes, 
aching for want of rest, found at last some tears, but they 
were tears of joy and gladness. Soon we became more com- 
posed ; we related to each other all that we had suffered. Oh ! 
the sympathy of loviog hearts ! Our sorrows had been the 
same, we had shared the same fears, she for me and I for 
her. Anna's rapid recovery, after her renovating slumber, 
enabled her to get up: she dressed herself as usual, and 
the people who saw her could not believe she had passed 
ten days struggling between death and insanity — two gulphs, 
from which love and faith had preserved us. 

I was happy ; my deep sadness was speedily changed to 
gladness, even visible on my featui'es. Alas ! this joy was tran- 



56 TWENTY YEARS IN THK PHlLIPPINIiS, 

sitorj, like all happiness ; man here below is a continual prey 
to misfortune ! My wife, at the end of a month, relapsed into 
her former sickly state ; the same symptoms showed them- 
selves again, with similar prospects, during the same space 
of time. I remained again nine days at her bed-side, and 
on the tenth a refreshing sleep brought her to her senses 
But this time, guided by experience, that pitiless mistress, who 
gives us lessons we should ever remember, I did not rejoice 
as I had done the month before. I feared lest this sudden 
cure might only be a temporary recovery, and that every 
month my poor invalid would relapsq., until her brain becoming 
weaker and weaker, she would be deranged for life. This sad 
idea wounded my heart, and caused me such grief that I 
could not even dissimulate it before her who inspired it. I 
exhausted all the resources of medicine ; all these expedients 
proved unavailable. I thought that perhaps, if I removed my 
poor invalid from the spot where the events had occurred that 
caused her disorder, her cure might be more easily effected ; 
that perhaps bathing and country walks in the fine weather 
would contribute to hasten her recovery ; therefore I invited 
one of her relations to accompany us, and we set out for Tierra- 
Alta, a delightful spot, a real oasis, where all things were 
assembled that could endear one to life. The first days of 
our settling there were full of joy, hope, and happiness. 
Anna got better and better every day, and her health very 
much improved. We walked in beautiful gardens, under the 
shade of orange-trees ; they were so thick that even during the 
most intense heat we were cool under their shade. A lovely 
river of blue and limpid water ran through our orchard; I 
had some Indian baths erected there. We went out in a 
pretty, light, open carriage, drawn by four good horses, through 



DANGEROUS NEIGHBOURS — REPENTANT BANDITTI. 57 

beautiful avenues, lined on each side with the pliant bamboo, 
and sown with all the various flowers of the tropics. I leave 
you to judge, by this short account, that nothing that can be 
wished for in the country was wanting in Tierra-Alta. For 
an invalid it was a Paradise ; but those are right who say 
there is no perfect happiness here below. I had a wife I 
adored, and who loved me with all the sincerity of a pure 
young heart. We lived in an Eden, away from the world, 
from the noise and bustle of a city, and far, too, from the 
jealous and envious. We breathed a fragrant air; the pure and 
limpid waters that bathed our feet reflecting, by turns a sunny 
sky, and one spangled with twinkling stars. Anna's health was 
improving: it pleased me to see her so happy. What, then, 
was there to ti'ouble us in our lovely retreat? A troop of 
banditti ! These robbers were distributed around the suburbs 
of Tierra-Alta, and spread desolation over the country and 
neighbourhood by the robberies and murders they com- 
mitted. There was a regiment in search of them ; this they 
little cared about. They were numerous, clever, and audacious ; 
and, notwithstanding the vigilance of the government, the band 
continued their highway robberies and assassinations. In the 
house where I then resided, and which I afterv^ards left, 
x\guilar, the commander of the cavalry, who had replaced 
me as occupant, was fallen upon unexpectedly, and stabbed. 
Several years after this period, the government was obliged 
to come to some terms with these bandits, and one day twenty 
men, all armed with carbines and swords, entered Manilla. 
Their chieftain led them ; they walked with their heads upright, 
their carriage was proud and manly ; in this order they went 
to the governor, who made them a speech, ordered them to 
lay down their arms, and sent them to the archbishop that 



58 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

he might exhort them. The archbishop in a religious discourse 
implored of them to repent of their crimes, and become honest 
citizens, and to return to their villages. These men, who had 
bathed their hands in the blood of their fellow-creatures, and 
who had sought in crime — or rather, in every crime — the gold 
they coveted, listened attentively to God's minister, changed 
completely their conduct, and became, in the end, good and 
quiet husbandmen. 

Now let us return to my residence at Tierra-Alta, at the 
period when the bandits were not converted, and might have 
disturbed my peaceful abode and security. Nevertheless, 
whether it was carelessness, or the confidence I had in my 
Indian, with whom I spent some time after the ravages 
occasioned with the cholera, and with whose influence I was 
acquainted, I did not fear the bandits at all. This Indian 
lived a few leagues off from Tierra-Alta ; he came often to 
see me, and said to me on different occasions : " Fear nothing 
from the robbers, Senor Doctor Pablo ; they know we are friends, 
and that alone would suffice to prevent them attacking you, 
for they would dre-ad to displease me, and to make me their 
enemy." These words put an end to my fears, and I soon 
had an opportunity of seeing that the Indian had taken me 
under his protection. 

If any of my readers for whom I write these souvenirs 
feel the same desire as I experienced to visit the cascades of 
Tierra-Alta, let them go to a place called Yang- Yang ; it was 
near this spot where my Indian protector resided. At this 
part the river, obstructed in its course by the narrowness of 
its channel, falls from only one waterspout, about thirty or 
forty feet high, into an immense basin, out of which the water 
calmly flows onwards, to form, lower down, three other water- 



FOKTUNATE ESCAPE — ANONYMOUS FRIEND. 59 

falls, not so lofty, but extending over the breadth of the river, 
thereby making three sheets of "water, clear and transparent 
as crystal. What beautiful sights are offered to the eyes of 
man by the all-powerful hands of the Creator ! And how often 
have 1 remarked that the works of nature are far superior 
to those that men tire themselves to erect and invent ! 

As we went one morning to the cascades we were about 
to alight at Yang- Yang, when all at once our carriage was 
surrounded with brigands, flying from the soldiers of the line. 
The chief — for we supposed him to be so at first — said to 
his companions, not paying the slightest attention to us, nor 
even addressing us: "We must kill the horses!" By this 
I saw he feared lest their enemies should make use of our 
horses to pursue them. With a presence of mind which fortu- 
nately never abandons me in difficult or perilous cicumstances, 
I said to him : " Do not fear ; my horses shall not be used by 
your enemies to pursue you : rely upon my word." The chief 
put his hand to his cap, and thus addressed his comrades : " If 
such be the case, the Spanish soldiers will do us no harm to- 
day, neither let us do any. Follow me ! " They marched off, 
and I instantly drove rapidly away in quite an opposite direc- 
tion from the soldiers. The bandits looked after me ; my good 
faith in keeping my word was successful. I not only lived a few 
months in safety at Tierra-Alta, but many years after, when 
I resided in Jala-Jala, and, in my quality of commander of the 
territorial horse-guards of the province of Lagune, was naturally 
a declared enem.y of the bandits, I received the following note : 

" Sir, — Beware of Pedro Tumbaga ; we are invited by him to go 
to your house and to take you by surprise ; we remember the moininp 
we spoke to you at the cascades, and the sincerity of your word. 
You ai-e an honomable man. If we find ourselves face to face 



60 TWENTY TEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

with you, and it be necessary, we will fight, but faithfully, and 
never after having laid a snare. Keep, therefore, on your guard ; 
beware of Pedro Tumbago ; he is cowardly enough to hide himself 
in order to shoot you." 

Everybody must acknowledge I had to do with most 
polite robbers. 

I answered them thus : 

" You are brave fellows. 1 thank you for your advice, but I 
do not fear Pedro Tumbaga. I cannot conceive how it is you keep 
among you a man capable of hiding himself to kill his enemy; 
if I had a soldier like him, I would soon let him have justice, and 
without consulting the law." 

A fortnight after my answer, Tumbaga was no more ; a 
bandit's bullet disembarrassed me of him. 

I will now retarn to the recital I have just interrupted- 
When I had left the bandits at Yang- Yang, I pulled up my 
horses and bethought me of Anna. I was anxious to know what 
impression had been produced on her mind from this uu 
pleasant encounter. Fortunately my fears were unfounded ; 
my wife had not been at all alarmed, and when I asked her 
if she was frightened, she replied : " Frightened, indeed ! am 1 
not with you ?" Subsequently I had good proofs that she told 
me the truth, for in many perilous circumstances she always 
presented the same presence of mind. When I thought there 
was no longer any danger we retraced our steps and went home, 
satisfied with the conduct of the bandits towards us, for their 
manner of acting clearly showed us that they intended us no 
harm. I mentally thanked my Indian friend, for to him I 
attributed the peace our turbulent neighbours allowed us to 
enjoy. The fatal time was drawing near when my wife would 
again be suffering from another attack of that frightful maLniy 



DOMESTIC HAPPINESS EESTOKED 61 

brought on by Novales revolt. I bad boped that the country 
air, the baths, and amusements of every kind would cure my 
poor invalid ; my hopes were deceived, and, as in the preceding 
month, I bad the grief once more to assist at a period of 
physical and mental suffering. I despaired : I knew not what 
course to pursue. I decided, however, upon remaining at 
Tierra-Alta. My dear companion was happy there on the days 
her health was better, and on the other days I never left her, 
endeavouring by every means that art and imagination could 
invent to fight against this fatal malady. At length my care, 
attempts, and efforts were successful, and at the periods the 
symptoms usually returned I had the happiness not to observe 
them, and believed in the certainty of a final cure. I then 
felt the joy one experiences after having for a long time been 
on the point of losing a very dear friend, who suddenly recovers. 
I now gave myself up without fear to the various pleasures 
Tierra-Alta offers. 




stag hunting in tlie Marigondon Mountanis. 



CHAPTER IV. 



Hunting the Stag— Indian Mode of Chasing the Wild Buffalo; its Ferocity- 
Dangerous Sport— Capture of a Buffalo— Narrow Escape of an Indian Uuntei 
— Retm-n to Manilla— Injustice of the Governor— My Resignation of Office— 
I Purchase Property at Jala-Jala— Retire from Manilla to Take Possession of 
my Domains— Chinese Legend— Festival of St. Nicholas— Quinaboutasan— 
Description of Jala-Jala— Interview with a Bandit Chief— Fonnation of a 
Guaid— Preparations for Building— Visit to Manilla, and Retuin to Jala-.fala 
—Completion of my House— Reception of my Wife by the Natives— The 
Government of the Philippines— Character of the Tagaloc Indians— Un- 
merited Chastisement— A Cm-ate Appointed— Our Labours at CiviUsation— 
My Hall of Justice — Buffalo Hunting Expedition. 

NATURALLY fond of hunting, I often went to the home of 
my Indian friend in the Marigondon mountains To 
gether we chased the stag, and killed the various kinds of hirds 
which abound in these regions to such an extent that one may 



HUNTING THE STAG. 63 

always choose between fifteen or twenty different species of 
pigeons, wild ducks, and fowl, and it frequently happened that 
I brought down five or six at a shot. The manner of killing 
wild fowl fa sort of pheasant) much amused me. We rode 
across the large plains, strewed with young wood, on good and 
beautiful horses, broken in for the purpose ; the dogs raised the 
game, and, armed with whips, we endeavoured to knock the birds 
down at a single blow, which is not so difficult as might be 
imagined. When a number of the frightened flocks left the 
shelter of the wood we put our steeds to the gallop, and it 
became a veritable steeple-chase, such as amateur jockeys 
would much delight in. I also hunted the stag with the lance, 
on horseback; this sport is likewise very amusing, but, unfor- 
tunately, often attended with accidents. This is how they 
occur : — The horses employed are so well trained to the sport, 
that as soon as they perceive the stag it is no longer necessary, 
neither is it possible, to guide them ; they pursue the animal 
at the top of their speed, and leap over every obstruction 
before them. The horseman carries a lance seven or eight 
feet long, which he holds in readiness to cast as soon as he 
thinks himself within reach of the stag. If he misses his 
aim the lance sticks in the ground, and it then requires great 
skill to avoid coming in contact with the opposite end, which 
often wounds either the hunter or the horse. I speak not of 
the falls to which one is liable from going at a furious gallop 
along unknown and uneven roads. I had already enjoyed this 
sport during my first sojourn at the Indian's, but, well as I 
acquitted myself, I was never able to gain his permission that 
I should assist at a chase far more dangerous, and which 1 
might almost call a combat — that of the wild bufialo To all 
my questions my host had replied : "In this sport there is 



64 TWENTY YEAB8 JN THE PHILIPPINES. 

much to fear : 1 would not expose you to the risk." He 
avoided, also, takiug me near that part of the plain touching 
upon the mountains of Marigondon, where these animals 
could generally he found. However, after repeated solicitation, 
I managed to obtain what I so ardently desired ; the Indian 
only wished to know whether I was a good horseman, if I 
possessed dexterity ; and when he had satisfied himself on these 
two points, we started one fine morning, accompanied by nine 
-huntsmen and a small pack of dogs. In this part of the 
Philippines the buffalo is hunted on horseback, and taken with 
the lasso, the Indians not being much accustomed to the use 
of guns. In other parts fire-arms are used, as I shall have 
occasion to recount in another part of my narrative ; but, in 
whichever case, there is little difference in the danger, for 
ihe one requires good riding and great skill, the other much 
presence of mind and a good gun. 

The wild buffalo is quite different from the domesti- 
cated animal ; it is a terrible creature, pursuing the hunter 
as soon as it gets sight of him, and, should he transfix 
him with its terrible horns, he would promptly expiate his 
rashness. My faithful Indian was much more anxious 
about my safety than his own. He objected to my taking 
a gun ; he had little confidence in my skill with the lasso, 
and preferred that 1 should merely sit on horseback, un- 
armed and unencumbered in my movements ; accordingly I 
set out, with a dagger for my sole weapon. We divided our 
party by threes, and rode gently about the plains, taking care 
to keep at a distance from the edge of the wood, lest we 
should be surprised by the animal we were seeking. 

After riding for about an hour, we at last heard the baying 
of the dogs, and understood that the enemy was forced from its 



DANGEROUS SPORT. 65 

forest retreat. We watched with the deepest attention the spot 
where we expected him to break forth. He required a great deal 
of coaxing before he would show ; at last there was a sudden 
crashing noise in the wood ; branches were broken, young trees 
overthrown, and a superb buffalo showed himself, at about one 
hundred and fifty paces' distance. He was of a beautiful 
black, and his horns were of very large dimensions. He 
carried his head high, and snuffed the air as though scenting 
his enemies. Suddenly starting off at a speed incredible in 
so bulky an animal, he made for one of our groups, composed 
of three Indians, who immediately put their horses to a gallop, 
and distributed themselves in the form of a triangle. The 
buffalo selected one of them, and impetuously charged him. 
As he did so, another of the Indians, whom he passed in 
his furious career, wheeled his horse and threw the lasso he 
held ready in his hand ; but he was not expert, and missed his 
aim. Thereupon the buffalo changed his course, and pur- 
sued the imprudent man who had thus attacked him, and who 
now rode right in our direction. A second detachment of three 
hunters went to meet the brute ; one of them passed near him 
at a gallop, and threw his lasso, but was as unsuccessful as his 
comrade. Three other hunters made the attempt ; not one of 
tbem succeeded. I, as a mere spectator, looked on with ad- 
miration at this combat — at those evolutions, flights, and pur 
suits, executed with such order and courage, and with a precision 
that was truly extraordinary. 

I had often witnessed bull-fights, and often had I shuddered 
at seeing the toreadors adopt a similar method in order to turn 
the furious animal from the pursuit of the picador. But what 
comparison could possibly be established between a combat in 
an enclosed arena and this one in the open plain — between the 



66 TWENTY YEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

most terrible of bulls and a wild buffalo ? Fiery and hot- 
blooded Spaniards, proud Castilians, eager for perilous spec- 
tacles, go, bunt the buffalo in the plains of the Marigondon ! 
After much flight and pursuit, hard riding, and imminent peril, 
a dexterous hunter encircled the animal's horns with his lasso. 
The buffalo slackened his speed, and shook and tossed his 
head, stopping now and then to try to get rid of the obstacle 
which impeded his career. Another Indian, not less skilful 
than his predecessor, threw his lasso with a like rapidity and 
success. The furious beast now ploughed the earth with his 
horns, making the soil fly around him, as if anxious to display 
his strength, and to show what havoc he would have made with 
any of us who had allowed themselves to be surprised by him. 
With much care and precaution the Indians conveyed their 
prize into a neighbouring thicket. The hunters uttered a 
shout of joy ; for my part I could not repress a cry of admi- 
ration. The animal was vanquished ; it needed but a few pre- 
cautions to master him completely. I was much surprised to 
see the Indians excite him with voice and gesture until he re- 
sumed the oftensive, and bounded from the ground with fury. 
What would have been our fate had he succeeded in shaking 
off" or breaking the lassos ! Fortunately, there was no danger of 
this. An Indian dismounted, and, with great agility, attached 
to the trunk of a solid tree the two lassos that retained the savage 
beast ; then he gave the signal that his office was accomplished, 
and retired. Two hunters approached, threw their lassos over 
the animal, and fixed the ends to the ground with stakes ; and 
now our prey was thoroughly subdued, and reduced to immo- 
bility, so that we could approach him with impunity. With 
blows of their cutlasses the Indians hacked off his horns, 
•which would so well have revenged him had he been free to usa 



NARROW ESCAPE OF AN INDIAN HUNTER. 67 

them ; then, with a pointed bamboo, they pierced the mem- 
branes that separate the nostrils, and passed through them a 
cane twiste in the form of a ring. In this state of martyrdom 
they fastened him securely behind two tame buffaloes, and led 
him to the next village. 

Here the animal was killed, and the hunters divided the 
carcass, the flesh of which is equal in flavour to beef. I had 
been fortunate in my first essay, for such encounters with these 
shaggy sovereigns of the plain do not always end so easily. A 
few days afterwards we renewed the sport, which, alas ! termi- 
nated with an accident of too frequent occurrence. An Indian 
was surprised by a buffalo, at the moment the animal issued 
from the wood. With one blow from his horns the horse was 
impaled and cast to the earth, while his Indian rider fell near 
to him. The inequality of the ground offered some chance Oi 
the man escaping the notice of his redoubtable foe, imtil the 
latter, by a sudden movement of his head, turned the horse over 
upon his rider, and inflicted several blows with his horns, either 
of which would have proved fatal, but from the force becoming 
diminished in traversing the carcass of the horse. Fortunately 
some of the other sportsmen succeeded in turning the animal, and 
compelled him to abandon his victim. It was indeed time, for 
we found the poor Indian half dead, and terribly gored by the 
horns of the buffalo. We succeeded in stopping the blood which 
flowed copiously from his wounds, and carried him to the 
village upon a hastily constructed litter. It was only by con- 
siderable care and attention that his cure was eventually effected, 
and my friend the Indian strongly opposed my assisting at such 
dangerous sport for the future. 

Anna's health was now completely re-established. I no 
longer dreaded the return of her fearful maladv. During the 



68 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

space of several months I liad enjoyed all the pleasures that 
Tierra-Alta afforded, and my affairs now requiring my presence 
at Manilla we set out for that city. Immediately after my 
arrival I was compelled, much to my regret, to resume my 
ordinary occupation ; that is, to visit the sick from morning to 
night, and from night to morning. My profession did not well 
accord with my natural character, for I was not sufficiently 
philosophic to witness, without pain, the sufferings I was in- 
capable of alleviating, and, above all, to watch the death-beds 
of fathers, of mothers, and of dearly loved children. In a 
word, I did not act professionally, for I never sent in my bills ; 
my patients paid me when and how they could. To their 
honour, I am bound to say that I rarely had to complain of 
forgetfulness. Besides, my appointments permitted me to 
live sumptuously, to have eight horses in my stables, and to 
keep open house to my friends and the strangers who visited 
Manilla. Soon, however, what my friends designated a coiop- 
de-tete caused me to lose all these advantages. 

Every month I summoned a council of revision in the 
regiment to which I belonged. One day I brought forward 
a young soldier for rejection ; all went well ; but a native 
surgeon, long jealous of my reputation, was nominated by the 
governor to make inquiry and check my declaration. He 
naturally inserted in his report that I was deceived ; that the 
malady of which I spoke was imaginary ; and he succeeded in 
all this so well that the governor, enraged, condemned me in 
a penalty of six piasters. The following month I again 
brought forward the same soldier, as being incapable of per- 
forming his duties ; a commission of eight surgeons lyas nomi- 
nated ; their decision was unanimous in my favour, and the 
soldier was accordingly discharged. This reparation not quite 



MY EESIGNATION OF OFFICE. 69 

satisfying me, 1 presented an appeal to tlie gorernoi', -who would 
not receive it, upon the strange pretext that the decision of 
the medical committee could not annul his. I confess that I 
did not understand this argument. This method of reasoning, 
if reasoning it was, appeared to me specious in the extreme. 
Why allow the innocent to suffer, and the ignorant practitioner, 
who had contradicted my opinions and deceived himself, to 
escape ? This injustice revolted me. I am a Breton, and 1 
have lived with Indians — two natures which love only right and 
justice. I was so much annoyed by the governor's conduct 
towards me that I went to him, not to make another recla- 
mation, but to tender my resignation of the important offices 
which I held. He received me with a specious smile, and told 
me that after a little reflection I should change my mind. 
The poor governor, however, was deceived, for, on leaving his 
palace, I went direct to the minister of finance and purchased 
the property of Jala-Jala. My course was marked out, my 
resolution unshakable. Although my resignation was not yet 
duly accepted, I began to act as though I was completely free. 
I had at the beginning informed Anna of the matter, and had 
asked her if she would reside at Jala- Jala. " With you I 
should be happy anywhere." Such was her answer. I was 
free, then, to act as I pleased, and could go wherever my 
destiny might lead me. I forthwith decided upon visiting the 
land that I had purchased. 

For the execution of this project it was necessary to find 
a faithful Indian upon whom I could rely. From among my 
domestics I chose the coachman, a brave and discreet man, 
who was devoted to me. I took some arms, ammunition, and 
provisions. At Lapindan, a small village near the town of 
Santa Anna, I freighted a small boat worked by three Indians • 



70 



TWF.NTy YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES 




Passage-boat on the River Pasig 



and one morning, ■without making my project known to li'v 
fiiends, and without inquiring whether the governor had re- 
placed me, I set out to take possession of my domains, respir- 
ing the vivifying and pure air of liberty. I ascended in my 
pirogue — which skimmed along the surface of the waters like a 
sea-gull — the pretty river Pasig, which issues from the lake of 
Bay, and traverses, on its way to the sea, the suburbs of Manilla. 
The banks of this river are planted with thickets of bamboo, 
and studded with pretty Indian habitations ; above the large 
town of Pasig it receives the waters of the river St, Mateo, at 
the spot where that river unites itself with that of the Pasig. 
Upon the left bank are still seen the ruins of the chapel and 
parsonage of St. Nicholas, built by the Chinese, as the legend 
I am about to relate informs us 



FESTIVAL OF ST, NICHOLAS. 71 

At an unknown epoch, a Chinese who was once sailing 
in a canoe, either upon the river Pasig, or that of St. 
Mateo, suddenly perceived an alligator making for his frail 
bark, which it immediately capsized. On his finding him- 
self thus plunged in the water, the unfortunate Chinese, 
whose only prospect was that of making a meal for the 
ferocious animal, invoked the aid of St. Nicholas. You, per- 
haps, would not have done so, nor I either ; and we should 
have been wrong, for the idea was a good one. The good St. 
Nicholas listened to the cries of the unhappy castaway, appeared 
to his wondering eyes, and with a stroke of a wand, like some 
benevolent fairy, changed the thi'eatening crocodile into a rock, 
and the Chinese was saved. But do not imagine that the 
legend ends here ; the Chinese are not an ungrateful people — 
China is the land of porcelain, of tea, and of gratitude. The 
Chinese who had thus escaped from the cruel fate that awaited 
him, felt desirous of consecrating the memory of the miracle ; 
and, in concert with his brethren of Manilla, he built a pretty 
chapel and parsonage in honour of the good St. Nicholas. 
This chapel was for a long time officiated in by a bonze ; and 
every year, at the festival of the saint, the rich Chinese of 
Manilla assembled there in thousands, to give a series of fetes 
which lasted for fifteen days. But it happened that an arch- 
bishop of Manilla, looking upon this worship offered up by 
Chinese gratitude as nothing but paganism, caused both the 
chapel and parsonage to be unroofed. These harsh measures 
had no other result than to admit the rain into the buildings ; 
but the worship due to St. Nicholas still continued, and remains 
to this day. Perhaps this arises from the attempt to sup- 
press it ! 

At present, at the period when this festival takes place — 



72 TWENTY YEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

that is, about the 6th of November every year— a delightful 
view presents itself. During the night large vessels may be 
seen, upon which are built palaces actually several stories high, 
terminating in pyramids, and lit up from the base to the 
summit. All these lights are reflected in the placid waters of 
the river, and seem to augment the number of the stars, whose 
tremulous images dance on the surface of the waters : it is an 
extemporised Venice ! In these palaces they give themselves 
up to play, to smoking opium, and to the pleasures of music. 
The pevete, a species of Chinese incense, is burning everywhere 
and at all times -in honour of St. Nicholas, who is invoked 
every morning by throwing into the river small square pieces 
of paper of various colours. St. Nicholas, however, does not 
make his appearance ; but the fete continues for a fortnight, 
at the termination of which the faithful retire till the year 
following. 

And now that the reader is acquainted with the legend of 
the crocodile, of the Chinese, and of the good St. Nicholas, I 
will resume my voyage. 

I sailed on peaceably upon the Pasig, proceeding to the con- 
quest of my new dominions, and indulging in golden dreams. 
I gazed on the light smoke of my cigarette, without reflecting 
that my dreams, my castles in the air, must evaporate like it ! 
I soon found myself in the lake of Bay. The lake occupies an 
extent of thirty leagues, and I greatly admired this fine sheet 
of water, bounded in the distance by mountains of fantastic 
forms. At length I arrived at Quinaboutasaii— this is a Tagal 
word, which signifies " that which is perforated." Quinaboutasan 
is situated on a strait, which separates the island of Talem from 
the continent. We stopped for an hour in the only Indian hut 
there was in the place, to cook some rice and take our repast. 



DESCRIPTION OF JALA-JALA. 78 

This hut was inhabited by a very old fisherman and his wife. 
They were still, however, able to supply their wants by fishing. 
At a later period I shall have occasion to speak of old Re- 
lempago, or the " Thunderer," and to recount his history. 
When I was in the centre of the sheet of water which separates 
Talem from Jala-Jala, I came in sight of the new domain 
which I had so easily acquired, and I could form some opinion 
of my acquisition at a glance. Jala-Jala is a long peninsula, 
extending from north to south, in the middle of the lake of 
Bay. This peninsula is divided longitudinally for the space of 
three leagues by a chain of mountains, which diminish gradually 
in height till they become mere hillocks. These mountains, 
are easy of access, and generally covered on one side with forests, 
and on the other with fine pasturage, abounding with waving 
and flexible grass, three or four feet high, which, agitated by the 
breeze, resembles the waves of the sea when in motion. It is 
impossible to find more splendid vegetation, which is watered 
by pure and limpid springs that gush from the mountain 
heights, and roll in a meandering course to join the waters of the 
lake. These pasture grounds constitute Jala-Jala the greatest 
game preserve in the island : wild boars, deer, buffaloes, fowls, 
quail, snipe, pigeons of fifteen or twenty different varieties, 
parrots — in short all sorts of birds abound in them. The lake 
is equally well supplied with aquatic birds, and particularly 
wild ducks. Notwithstanding its extent, the island produces 
neither noxious nor carnivorous animals ; the only things to be 
apprehended are the civet cat, which only preys upon birds, 
and the monkeys, which issue in troops from the forests to 
ravage the fields of maize and sugar-cane. The lake, which 
abounds with excellent fish, is less favoured in this respect 
than the land, for it contains numerous crocodiles and alliga- 

r» 



I i TWENTY YEARS JN THK PHILIPPINES. 

tors, of such immense size that in a few moments one of them 
can tear a horse to pieces, and swallow it in its monstrous 
stomach. The accidents they occasion are frequent and terrible, 
and I have seen many Indians become their victims, as I shall 
subsequently relate. I ought, doubtless, to have begun by 
speaking of the human beings who inhabited the forests of 
Jala- Jala, but I am a sportsman, and must therefore be excused 
for beginning w'ith the game. 

At the time I purchased it Jala-Jala was inhabited by some 
Malay Indians, who lived in the woods, and cultivated a few 
spots of ground. During the night they carried on the trade of 
piracy, and gave shelter to all the banditti of the neigh- 
bouring provinces. At Manilla this country had been described 
to me in the most gloomy colours. According to the citizens 
of that place it would not be long before I fell a victim to these 
robbers. My adventurous disposition, however, only made all 
these predictions, instead of frightening me, increase my desire 
to visit these men, who lived in an almost savage state. As 
soon as I had purchased Jala-Jala, I had laid down a line of 
conduct for myself, the object of which was to attach to me 
such of the inhabitants as were the most to be dreaded. I re- 
solved to become the friend of these banditti, and for this 
purpose I knew that I must go amongst them, not like a sordid 
and exacting landlord but like a father. For the execution of 
my enterprise, everything depended on the first impression that 
I should make on these Indians, who had become my vassals. 
When I had landed, I directed my steps along the borders of 
the lake, towards a little hamlet composed of a few cabins. I 
was accompanied by my faithful coachman ; we were both 
armed with a good double-barreled gun, a brace of pistols, and 
a sabre. I had taken the precaution of ascertaining from some 



INTERVIEW WITH A BANDIT CHIEF. 7ft 

fisliermen the name of the Indian to whom I should especially 
address myself. This man, who was the most respected amongst 
his countrymen,^ was called in the Tagal language, " Mabutiu- 
To/o," which may be translated the " bravest of the brave" he 
was a thorough-paced robber, a real piratical chief : a fellow that 
would not hesitate to commit five or six murders in one expedi- 
tion ; but he was brave, and with a primitive people bravery 
is a quality before which they bow with respect. My conference 
with Mabutiu-Tajo was not long. A few words were enough to 
win me his favour, and to make him my faithful servant during 
the whole time I remained at Jala-Jala. This is the manner 
in which I spoke to him : " You are a great villain," I said ; 
" I am the lord of Jala-Jala. I insist on your changing your 
conduct ; if you refuse, I shall punish you for all your mis- 
deeds. I have occasion for a guard : will you pledge me your 
honour to become an honest man, and I will make you my 
lieutenant ?" 

After these few words, Alila (this was the name of the 
robber) continued silent for a few moments, while his coun- 
tenance displayed the marks of profound reflection. I awaited 
his answer with considerable anxiety and doubt as to what it 
would be. 

" Master," he at length replied, with enthusiasm, presenting 
me his hand, and bending one knee to the ground : "I shall 
be faithful to you till death !" 

His answer made me happy, but I did not let him see 
my satisfaction. 

"Well and good," I replied; "to show you that I confide 
in you, take this weapon, and use it only against the enemy." 

I gave him a Tagal sabre, which bore the following Spanish 
inscription, in large letters : " No me sacas sin rason, ni me 



76 TWENTY TEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

envainas sin honor.'' " Never draw me unjustly, and never 
sheath me with dishonour." 

I translated this legend into the Tagaloc language : Alila 
thought it sublime, and vowed never to deviate from it. 

" When I go to Manilla," I added, " I shall procure you a 
handsome uniform, with epaulettes ; but you must lose no 
time in assembling the soldiers you will have to command, and 
who are to form my guard. Conduct me to the house of one 
of your comrades whom you think most capable of obeying 
you as Serjeant." We went some distance from his cabin to 
the hut of one of his friends, who almost always accompanied 
him in his piratical excursions. A few words like those I had 
spoken to my future lieutenant produced a similar influence 
on his comrade, and induced him to accept the rank I offered 
him. We occupied the day in recruiting amongst the various 
huts, and in the evening we had a guard of ten effective men, 
infantry and cavalry, a number I did not wish to exceed. 

Of these I took the command as captain ; and thus, as 
will be seen, I went promptly to work. The following day I 
assembled the population of the peninsula, and, surrounded by 
my extempore guard, I chose a situation where I wished to 
found a village, and a site on which I wished my own habita- 
tion to be built. I ordered the heads of families to construct 
their huts on an allotment which I indicated, and I directed 
my lieutenant to employ as many hands as possible, to quarry 
stones, to cut down timber for the wood- work, and^to prepare 
everything in short for my house. Having issued my orders, 
I departed for Manilla, promising to return soon. When 
I reached home, I found them in a state of inquietude, for, as 
nothing had been heard of me, it was thought I had fallen a 
prey to the crocodiles, or a victim to the pirates. The recital 



VISIT TO MANILLA EETURN TO JALA-JALA. 77 

of my journey, and the description I gave of Jala- Jala, far from 
disgusting my wife with the idea I had conceived of inhabit- 
ing that country, made her, on the contrary, impatient to visit 
our estate, and to establish herself there. It was, however, 
a farewell she was taking of the capital — of its fetes, its assem- 
blies, and its pleasures. 

I paid a visit to the governor. My resignation had been 
considered as null and void : he had preserved all ray places 
for me. I was touched by this goodness. I sincerely thanked 
him, but told him that I was really in earnest, that my reso- 
lution was irrevocably fixed, and that he might otherwise dis- 
pose of my employments. I added, that I only asked him for 
one favour, that of commanding all the local gendarmerie of 
the province of La Lagune, with the privilege of having a 
personal guard, which I would form myself. This favour was 
instantly granted, and a few days after I received my com- 
mission. It was not ambition that suggested to me the idea 
of asking for this important post, but sound reason. My object 
was to establish an authority for myself at Jala-Jala, and to 
have in my own hands the power of punishing my Indians, 
without recurring to the justice of the alcaid, who lived ten 
leagues away from my dominions. 

Wishing to be comfortably settled in my new residence, I 
drew out a plan of my house. It consisted of a first-floor, with 
five bed-chambers, a large hall, a spacious drawing-room, a ter 
race, and bathing rooms. I agreed with a master-mason and a 
master carpenter for the construction of it ; and having obtained 
arms and uniforms for my guard, I set out again. On arriving 
I was received with joy by my Indians. My lieutenant had 
punctually executed my orders. A great quantity of matevia] 
was prepared, and several Indian huts were already built 



78 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

This activity gave me pleasure, as it evinced a desire for 
my gratification. I immediately set my labourers to work, 
ordering tliem to clear away the surrounding wood, and I soon 
had the pleasure of laying the foundation of my residence ; 
I then went to Manilla. The works lasted for eight months, 
during which time I passed backwards and forwards continually 
from Manilla to Jala- Jala, and from Jala- Jala to Manilla. I 
had some trouble, but I was well repaid for it when I saw a 
village rise from the earth. My Indians constructed their 
huts on the places I had indicated ; they had reserved a site 
for a church, and, until this should be built, mass was to be 
celebrated in the vestibule of my mansion. At length, after 
many journeys to and fro, which gave great uneasiness to my 
wife, I was enabled to inform her that the castle of Jala-Jala 
was ready to receive its mistress. This was a pleasing piece 
of intelligence, for we were soon to be no longer separated. 

I quicldy sold my horses, my carriages, and useless furni- 
ture, and freighted a vessel to convey to Jala-Jala all that I 
required. Then, having taken leave of my friends, I quitted 
Manilla, with the intention of not returning to it but through 
absolute necessity. Our journey was prosperous, and on our 
arrival, we found my Indians on the shore, hailing with cries 
of joy the welcome advent of the " Queen of Jala-Jala," for it 
was thus they called my wife. 

We devoted the first days after our arrival to installing our- 
selves in our new residence, which it was necessary to furnish, 
and make both useful and agreeable ; this we accordingly 
effected. And now that years have elapsed, and I am far re- 
moved from that period of independence and perfect liberty, I 
reflect on the strangeness of my destiny. My wife and I 
were the only white and civilised persons in the midst of a 



THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINES. 79 

bronzed and almost savage population, and yet I felt no appre- 
hension. I relied on my arms, on my self-possession, and 
on the fidelity of my guards. Anna was only aware of a part 
of the dangers we incurred, and her confidence in me was so 
great, that when by my side she knew not what it was to fear 
When I was well established in my house, I undertook a 
difficult and dangerous task, that of establishing order amongst 
my Indians, and organizing my little town according to the 
custom of the Philippine islands. The Spanish laws, with 
reference to the Indians, are altogether patriarchal. Every 
township is erected, so to speak, into a little republic. Every 
year a chief is elected, dependant for affairs of importance on 
the governor of the province, whicn latter, in his turn, de- 
pends on the governor of the Philippine islands. I confess 
that I have always considered the mode of government pe- 
culiar to the Philippines as the most convenient and best 
adapted for civilization. The Spaniards, at the period of their 
conquest, found it in full operation in the isle of Luzon. 

I shall here enter into some details. Every Indian popu- 
lation is divided into two classes, the noble and the popular. 
The first is composed of all Indians who are, or have been 
cdbessas de harangay, that is to say, collectors of taxes, which 
situation is honorary. The taxes established by the Spaniards 
are personal. Every Indian of more than twenty-one years of 
age pays, in four instalments, the annual sum of three francs ; 
which tax is the same to the rich and the poor. At a certain 
period of the year, twelve of the cabessas de harangay become 
electors, and assembling together with some of the old in- 
liabitants of the township, they elect, by ballot, three of their 
number, whose names are forwarded to the governor of the 
Philippines. The latter chooses from amongst these names 



% TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

wliichever he pleases, and confides to him for one year the 
I'uiictions of gohernadorcillo, or deputy-governor. To distin- 
guish him from the other Indians, the deputy-governor bears a 
gold-headed cane, with which he has a right to strike such of 
his fellow-citizens as may have committed slight faults. His 
functions partake at the same time of those of mayor, justice 
of the peace, and examining magistrate. He watches over good 
order and public tranquillity ; he decides, without appeal, suits 
and differences of no higher importance than sixteen piasters 
(£3 6s. 8d.). He also institutes criminal suits of high im- 
portance, but there his power ceases. The documents con- 
nected with these suits are sent by him to the governor of 
the province, who, in his turn, transmits them to the royal 
court of Manilla. The court gives judgment, and the alcaid 
carries it into execution. When the election for deputy-governor 
takes place, the assembled electors choose all the officials who 
are to act under him. These are alguazils, whose number is 
proportioned to the population; two witnesses, or assistants, 
who are charged with the confirmation of the acts of the 
deputy-governor — for without their presence and sanction his 
acts would be considered null and void ; a jouis de palma, or 
palm judge, with the functions of rural guard ; a vaccinator, 
bound to be always furnished with vaccine matter, for new- 
born children ; and a schoolmaster, charged with public in- 
struction ; finally, a sort of gendarmerie, to watch banditti and 
the state of the roads within the precincts of the commune 
and the neighbouring lands. Men, grown up, and without 
employment, form a civic guard, who watch over the safety of 
the village. This guard indicates the hours of the night, by 
blows struck upon a large piece of hollow wood. There is in 
each town a parochial house, which is called Casa Real, where 



laCi'LKCTlONS ON MY PEESENT POSITION. 81 

the deputy-governor resides. He is bound to afford hospi- 
tality to all travellers who pass through the town, which hos 
pitality is like that of the Scotch mountaineers — it is given, but 
never sold. During two or three days, the traveller has a right 
to lodging, in which he is supplied with a mat, a pillow, salt, 
vinegar, wood, cooking vessels, and — paying for the same — all 
descriptions of food necessary for his subsistence. If, on his 
departure, he should even require horses and guides to con- 
tinue his journey, they are procured for him. With respect 
to the prices of provisions, in order to prevent the abuses so 
frequent amongst us, a large placard is fixed up in every Casa 
Real, containing a tariff of the market prices of meat, poultry, 
fisth, fruit, &c. In no case whatever can the deputy-governor 
exact any remuneration for the trouble he is at. 

Such were the measures that I wished to adopt, and which, it 
is true, possessed advantages and disadvantages. The greatest 
inconvenience attending them was undoubtedly that of placing 
myself in a state of dependence upon the deputy-governor, 
whose functions gave him a certain right, for I was his adminis- 
trator. It is true that my rank, as commandant of all the 
gendarmerie of the province, shielded me from any injustice 
that might be contemplated against me. I knew Yerj well 
that, beyond military service, I could inflict no punishment on 
my men without the intervention of the deputy-governor ; but 
I had sufficiently studied the Indian character to know that I 
could only rule it by the most perfect justice and a well-under- 
stood severity. But whatever were the difficulties I foresaw, 
without any apprehension of the troubles and dangers of every 
description that I should have to surmount, I proceeded 
straightforward towards the object I had traced out for myself. 
The road was sterile and encumbered witli rocks ; but I rntered 



82 



TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILTPPINES 




Tagal Indiana poauding nee 



upon it with courage, and I succeeded in obtaining over tlie 
Indians sucli an influence, that they ultimately obeyed my 
voice as they would that of a parent. The cliaracter of the 
Tagaloc is exti'emely difficult to define. Lavater and Gall 
would have been very much embarrassed by it ; for both phy- 
siognomy and craniology would be, perhaps, equally at a loss 
amongst the Philippines. 

The natural disposition of the Tagal Indian is a mixture of 
vices and virtues, of good and bad qualities. A worthy priest 
has said, when speaking of them : " They are great children 
and must be treated as if they were little ones." 

It is really curious to trace, and still more so to read, the 



CHARACTER OF THE TAGALOC INDIANS. 83 

moral portrait of a nativa of the Philippine islands. The 
Indian keeps his word, and yet — will it be believed ? — he is a 
liar. Anger he holds in horror, he compares it to madness; 
and even prefers drunkenness, which, however, he despises. 
He wHl not hesitate to use the dagger to avenge himself for in- 
justice ; but what he can least submit to is an insult, even when 
merited. When he has committed a fault, he may be punished 
with a flogging ; this he receives without a murmur, but he 
cannot brook an insult. He is brave, generous, and a fatalist. 
The profession of a robber, which he willingly exercises, is 
agreeable to him, on account of the life of liberty and adven- 
ture it affords, and not because it may lead to riches. Gene- 
rally speaking, the Tagalocs are good fathers and good husbands, 
both these qualities being inherent. Horribly jealous of their 
wives, but ^not in the least of the honour of their daughters ; 
and it matters little if the women they marry have com- 
mitted errors previous to their union. They never ask for a 
dowry, they themselves provide it, and make presents to the 
parents of their brides. They dislike cowards, but willingly 
attach themselves to the man who is brave enough to face 
danger. Play is their ruling passion, and they delight in the 
combats of animals, especially in cock-fighting. This is a 
brief compendium of the character of the people I was about 
to govern. My first care was to become master of myself. I 
made a firm resolution never to allow a gesture of impatience 
to escape me, in their presence, even in the most critical mo- 
ments, and to preserve at all times unshaken calmness and 
sang-froid. I soon learned that it was dangerous to listen to 
the communications that were made to me, which might lead 
me to the commission of injustice, as had already happened 
under the following circumstances. 



S4 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES, 

Two Indians came one day to lodge a complaint against 
one of their comrades, living at some leagues' distance from 
Jala-Jala. These informers accused him of having stolen 
cattle. After I had heard all they had to say, I set off with 
my guard to seize upon the accused, and brought him to my 
residence. There I endeavoured to make him confess his 
crime, but he denied it, and said he was innocent. It was in 
vain I promised him if he would tell the truth to grant him 
his. pardon, for he persisted even in the presence of his accusers. 
Persuaded, however, that he was telling me falsehoods, and 
disgusted with his obstinacy in denying a fact which had been 
sworn to me, with every appearance of sincerity, I ordered him 
to be tied upon a bench, and receive a dozen strokes of a whip. 
My orders were executed ; but the culprit denied the charge, 
as he had done before. This dogged perseverance irritated 
me, and I caused another correction to be administered to him 
the same as the first. The unfortunate man bore his punish- 
ment with unshaken courage : but in the midst of his sufferings 
he exclaimed, in penetrating accents : " Oh ! sir, I swear to 
you that I am innocent ; but, as you will not believe me, take 
me into your house. I will be a faithful servant, and you will 
soon have proofs that I am the victim of an infamous calumny." 
These words affected me. I reflected that this unfortunate 
man was, perhaps, not guilty after all. I began to fear I had 
been deceived, and had unknowingly committed an act of 
injustice. I felt that private enmity might have led these two 
witnesses to make a false declaration, and thus induce me to 
punish an innocent man. I ordered him to be untied. " The 
proof you demand," I said to him, " is easily tried. If you 
are an honest man, I shall be a father to you; but if you 
deceive me, do not expect any pity from me. From this 



UNMERITED CHASTISEMENT — A CURATE APPOll^TI?;). 85 

moment you shall be oue of my guard ; my lieutenant will 
provide you with arms." He thanked me earnestly, and his 
countenance lit up with sudden joy. He was installed in my 
guard. Oh! human justice! how fragile, and how often un- 
intelligible art thou ! Some time after this event, I learnt that 
Bazilio de la Cruz — this was the name of the man — was 
innocent The two wretches who had denounced him had fled, 
to avoid the chastisement they merited. Bazilio kept his pro- 
mise, and during my residence at Jala-Jala he served me 
faithfully and without malice or ill-will. This fact made a 
lively impression on me ; and I vowed that for the future I 
would inflict no punishment without being sure of the truth of 
the charge alleged. I have religiously kept this vow — at least I 
think so ; for I have never since ordered a single application 
of the whip until after the culprit had confessed his crime. 

I have before said that I had expressed a wish to have a 
church built in my village, not only from a religious feeling, 
but as a means of civilisation : I was particularly desirous of 
having a curate at Jala- Jala. With this view I requested 
Monseigneur Hilarion, the archbishop, whose physician I had 
been, and with whom I was on terms of friendship, to send me 
a clergyman of my acquaintance, and who was at that time 
unemployed. I had, however, much difficulty in obtaining 
this nomination. " Father Miguel de San-Francisco," the 
archbishop replied, "is a violent man, and very headstrong : 
you will never be able to live with him." I persisted, however; 
and as perseverance always produces some result, I at length 
succeeded in having him appointed curate at Jala-Jala. Father 
Miguel was of Japanese and Malay descent. He was young, 
strong, brave, and very capable of assisting me in the difficult 
circumstances that might occur ; as, for example, if it were 



86 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 




Father Miguel. 

necessary to defend ourselves against banditti. Indeed I must 
say that, in spite of the anticipations, and I may add the pre- 
judices, of my honourable friend the archbishop, I kept him 
with me during the whole time of my abode at Jala-Jala, and 
never had the slightest difference with him. I can only re- 
proach him with one thing to be regretted, which is that he 
did not preach sufficiently to his flock. He gave them only 
one sermon annually, aud then his discourse was always the 
same, and divided into two parts : the first was in Spanish, for 
our edification, and the second in Tagaloc, for the Indians. 
Ah ! how many men have I since met with who might well 
imitate the worthy curate of Jala- Jala ! To the observations 
I sometimes made he would reply : " Let me follow my own 
course, and fear nothing. So many words are not necessary to 
ninke a good Christian." Perhaps he was right. Since my 



OUR LABOURS AT CIVILISATION. 87 

departure from the place the good priest is dead, bearing with 
him to the tomb the regret of all his parishioners. 

As may be seen, I was at the beginning of my labour of 
civilisation. Anna assisted me with all her heart, and with 
all her intelligence, and no fatigue disheartened her. She 
taught the young girls to love that virtue which she practised 
so well herself. She furnished them with clothes, for at this 
period the young girls from ten to twelve years of age were 
still as naked as savages. Father Miguel de San Francisco 
was charged with the mission more especially belonging to his 
sacred character. The more readily to disseminate through 
the colony that instruction which is the beneficent parent of 
civilisation, the young people were divided into squads of four 
at a time, and went by turns to pass a fortnight at the parson- 
age. There they learned a little Spanish, and were moulded 
to the customs of a world which had been hitherto unknown 
to them. I superintended everything in general. I occupied 
myself in works of agriculture, and giving proper instruction to 
the shepherds who kept the flocks I had purchased to make 
use of my pasturage. I was also the mediator of all the differ- 
ences which arose amongst my colonists. They preferred 
rather to apply to me than to the deputy-governor ; and I sue 
ceeded at last in obtaining over them the influence I desired. 
One portion of my time, and this was not the least busy, was 
occupied in driving the banditti from my residence and its 
vicinity. Sometimes I set off" for this purpose before daybreak 
and did not return until night; and then I always found my 
wife good, affectionate, and devoted to me : her reception re- 
paid me for the labours of the day. Oh, felicity almost perfect! 
T have never forgotten you ! Happy period ! which has left 
indelible traces in my memory, you are always present to mj 



88 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

thoughts ! I have grown old, but my heart has ever continued 
young in recollecting you. 

In our long chit-chat of an evening we recounted to each 
other the labours of the day, and everything that occurred to 
us. This was the season of sweet mutual confidence. Hours 
too soon vanished, alas ! Fugitive moments, you will never 
return ! It was also the time when I gave audience ; real 
bed of justice, imitated from St. Louis, and thrown open to 
my subjects. The door of my mansion admitted all the 
Indians who had anything to communicate to me. Seated 
with my wife at a great round table, I listened, as I took my 
tea, to all the requests that were made to me, all the claims 
that were laid before me. It was during these audiences that 
I issued my sentences. My guards brought the culprits before 
me, and, without departing from my ordinary calmness, I ad- 
monished them for the faults they had committed ; but I 
always recollected the error I had committed in my sentence 
against poor Bazilio, and I was, therefore, very circumspect 
I first listened to the witnesses ; but I never condemned until 
I heard the culprit say : 

" What would you have, sir ? It was my destiny. I 
could not prevent myself from doing what I did." 

"Every fault merits chastisement," I would reply; "but 
choose between the deputy-governor and me — by which do you 
wish to be chastised ?" 

The reply was always the same. 

" Kill me, if you will, master; but do not give me up to my 
own countrymen." 

I awarded the punishment, and it was inflicted by my 
guards. When this was over, I presented the Indian with a 
cigar, as a token of pardon. I uttered a few kind words to him 



MY HALL OF JUSTICE.' 89 

to induce him not to commit any fresh. fauUs, and he went 
away -without bearing any malice to his judge. I had, perhaps, 
been severe, but I had been just; that was enough. The 
order and discipline I had established were a great support for 
me in the minds of the Indians ; they gave me a positive 
influence over them. My calmness, my firmness, and my 
justice — those three great qualities without which no govern- 
ment is possible — easily satisfied these natures, still untrained 
and unsophiscated. But one thing, however, disquieted them. 
Was I brave ? This is what they were ignorant of, and fre- 
quently asked of one another. They spurned the idea of being 
commanded by a man who might not be intrepid in the face of 
danger. I had indeed made several expeditions against ban- 
ditti, but they had produced no result, and would not serve as 
proofs of my bravery in the eyes of the Indians. I very well 
knew that they would form their definite opinion upon me 
from my conduct in the first perilous extremity we should 
encounter together. I was therefore determined to undertake 
anything, that I might show myself at least equal to the best 
and bravest of all my Indians : everything was comprised in 
that. I felt the imperious necessity of showing myself not 
only equal but superior in the struggle, by preserving my self- 
possession. 

An opportunity at length offered. 

The Indians look upon buffalo hunting as the most dan- 
gerous of all their wild sports, and my guards often said they 
would rather stand naked at twenty paces from the muzzle of 
a carbine than at the same distance from a wild buffalo. The 
difference they said is this, that the ball of a carbine may only 
wound, but the horn of a buffalo is sure to kill. I took advan- 
tage of the terror they had of this animal, and one day declared, 



90 TWENTY YEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

with the utmost possible coolness, my intention to hunt one. 
Ihey then made use of all their eloquence to turn me from my 
project ; they gave me a very picturesque, but a very discou- 
raging description of the dangers and difficulties I should have 
to encounter, especially as I was not accustomed to that sort 
of warfare, — and such a combat is, in fact, a struggle for life or 
death. But I would listen to nothing. I had spoken the 
word : I would not discuss the point, and I looked upon all 
their counsels as null and void. My decision was right ; for 
these kind counsels, these frightful pictures of the dangers I 
was about to incur, had no other object than to entrap me ; they 
had concerted amongst themselves to judge of my courage by 
my acceptance or refusal of the combat. My only answer was 
to give orders for the hunt. I took great care that my wife 
should not be informed of our excursion, and I set off, accom- 
panied by half a score Indians, nearly all of whom were armed 
with muskets. Buffalo hunting is different in the mountains 
from what it is in the plains. On the plain one only requires a 
good horse, with address and agility in throwing the lasso ; 
but in the mountains it requires something more : and, above 
all, the most extraordinary coolness and self-possession are 
essentially necessary. 

This is the way in which it is done : the hunter takes a 
gun on which he can depend, and places himself in such a 
position that the buffalo must see him on issuing from the 
wood. The moment the animal sees him, he rushes on him 
with the utmost velocity, breaking, rending, and trampling 
under foot every obstacle to the fury of his charge ; he rushes 
on as if about to crush the enemy, then stops within some 
paces for a few seconds, and presents his sharp and threatening 
horns. This is the moment that the hunter should fire, and 



BUFFALO HUNTING EXPEDITION. 91 

lodge his ball in the forehead of the foe. If unfortunately 
his gun misses fire, or if his coolness fails him, if his hand 
trembles, or his aim is bad, he is lost — Providence alone 
can save him ! This was, perhaps, the fate that awaited 
me ; but I was resolved to tempt this cruel proof, and I went 
forward with intrepidity — perhaps to death. We at length 
arrived on the skirts of an extensive wood, in which we felt 
assured there were buflfaloes, and here we halted. I was sure 
of my gun, and I conceived I was equally so of my self- 
possession ; I therefore determined that the hunt should be 
conducted as if I had been a simple Indian. I placed myself 
at the spot where it was fully expected that the animal would 
come out, and I forbade anyone to remain near me. I ordered 
everyone to his proper place, and I then stood alone on the 
open ground, about two hundred paces from the borders of the 
forest, to await an enemy that would show me no mercy if I 
missed him. It is, I confess, a solemn moment, when one 
stands between life and death by the more or less certainty of 
a gun, or the greater or less steadiness of the arm that holds 
it. I was, however, perfectly tranquil. When all were at their 
posts two hunters entered the forest, having first thrown off 
some of their clothing, the more readily to climb up trees in 
case of danger : they had no other arms than a cutlass, and 
were accompanied by the dogs. A dead silence continued for 
upwards of half-an-hour ; everyone listening for the slightest 
noise, but nothing was heard. The buffalo continues a long 
time frequently without betraying his lair ; but at the end of 
the half-hour we heard the repeated barking of the dogs, and 
the shouts of the hunters : the animal was aroused from his 
cover. He defended himself for some time against the dogs, 
till at length, becoming furious, he sprang forward with a bound 



92 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

towards the skirts of the forest. In a few minutes after, I 
heard the crashing of the branches and the young trees that 
the buffalo rent asunder in the terrible velocity of his course. 
His advance could only be compared to the galloping of several 
horses — to the rushing noise of some frightful monster — or, I 
might almost say, of some furious and diabolical being. 
Down he came like an avalanche ; and at this moment, I 
confess, I experienced such lively emotions that my heart beat 
with extraordinary rapidity. Was it not death — aye, and fright- 
ful death — that was perhaps approaching me ? Suddenly the 
buffalo made his appearance. He stopped for an instant; 
gazed, as if frightened, around him ; sniffed up the air of the 
plain which extended in the distance; then, with distended 
nostrils, head bent, and horns projected, he rushed towards me, 
terrible and furious. The moment was come. If I had longed 
for an opportunity of showing off my courage and sang-froid to 
the Indians, these two precious qualities were now put to a 
severe test. There I was, face to face with the peril I had 
courted ; the dilemma was one of the most decided and una- 
voidable that could possibly be : conqueror or conquered, there 
must be a victim — the buffalo or me, and we were both equally 
disposed to defend ourselves. 

It would be difficult for me to state exactly what was pass- 
ing in my mind, during the brief period which the buffalo 
took in clearing the distance that lay between us. My heart, 
so vividly agitated while the ferocious animal was rushing 
through the forest, now beat no longer. My eyes were fixed 
upon him, my gaze was rivetted on his forehead in such a 
manner that I could see nothing else. My mind was concen- 
trated on one object alone, in which I was so absorbed, that 
I could actually hear nothing, though the dogs were still bark- 



DANGEROUS TRIAL OF MY COURAGE. 



93 



iug at a short distance, as tliey followed their prey. At length, 
the buffalo lowered his head, presented his sharp-pointed horns, 
stopped for a moment, then, with a sudden plunge, he rushed 
upon me, and I fired. My ball pierced his skull, and I was 
half saved. The animal fell within a pace of me, like a mass 
of rock, so loud, and so heavy. I planted my foot between his 
two horns, and was preparing to fire my second barrel, when a 
long and hollow bellowing indicated that my victory was com- 
plete — the monster had breathed his last sigh. My Indians 
then came up. Their joy was succeeded by admiration ; they 
were in ecstacy ; I was everything they could wish for. All 
their doubts had vanished with the smoke of my rifle, when, 
with steady aim, I had shot the buffalo. I was brave ; I had 
won their confidence ; I had stood the test. My victim was 
cut up in pieces, and borne in triumph to the village As the 




Horns of the Bufialo 



94 TWENTY lEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

victor, I took his horns ; they were six feet long. I have since de- 
posited them in the museum of Nantes. The Indians, those 
imaginative beings, called me thenceforward, " Malamit Oulou," 
Tagal words, which signify " cool head." 

I must confess, without vanity, that the proof to which my 
Indians had subjected me was sufficiently serious to give them 
a decided opinion of my courage, and to satisfy them that a 
Frenchman was as brave as themselves. The haToit I subse- 
quently acquired of hunting convinced me that but little 
danger is really incurred when the weapon is a good one, and 
the self-possession does not fail. Once every month I in- 
dulged in this exercise, which imparts such lively sensations ; 
and I recognised the facility with which one may lodge a ball 
in a plain surface, a few inches in diameter, and at a few paces 
distance. But it is no less true that our first huntings were 
very dangerous. Once onJy I permitted a Spaniard named 
Ocampo to accompany us. I had taken the precaution to 
station two Indians at his side ; but when I quitted them to 
take up my own post, he imprudently sent them away, and 
soon after, the buffalo started from the wood, and rushed upon 
him. He fired both his barrels, and missed the animal ; we 
heard the reports and ran towards him, but it was too late ! 
Ocampo was no longer in existence. The buffalo had gored 
him through and through, and his body was ploughed up with 
frightful wounds. But no such accident ever took place again ; 
for when strangers came to witness our buffiilo hunts, I made 
them get up in a tree, or on the crest of a mountain, where 
they might remain as spectators of the combat, without taking 
any part in it, or being exposed to any danger. 

And now that I have described buffalo hunting in the 
mountains, I must return to my colonising labours. 




My House at Jala-Jala. 



CHAPTER V. 



Desciiption of my House at Jala-Jala — Storms, Gales, and Eartliqiiakes — Relinn- 
ing the Banditti — Card-playing — Tagal Cock-fighting — Skirmishes ■with 
Robbers — Courage of my Wife — Our Domestic Happiness — Visits from 
Europeans — Their Astonishment at our Civilisation — Visit to a Side Friend at 
Manilla — Tour through the Provinces of the Ilocos and Pangasinan Indians — 
My Reception by the Tinguians — Their Appearance and Habits — Manners and 
Customs — Indian Fete at Laganguilan y Madalag — Horrible Ceremonies to 
Celebrate a Victory — Songs and Dances — Our Night-watch — We Explore our 
Cabin — Discovery of a Secret Well — Tomb of the Tinguian Indians. 

A S I have previously said, my house possessed every comfort 
■*^ that could possibly be desired. It v?as built of hewn stone, 
80 that in case of an* attack it could serve as a small fortress. 
The front overlooked the lake, which bathed with its clear and 
limpid waters the verdant shore within a hundred steps from 
my dwelling ; the back part looked upon woods and hills, whore 



96 TWENTY TEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

the vegetation was rich and plentiful. From our windows 
we could gaze upon those grand majestic scenes which a 
beautiful tropical sky so frequently affords. At times, on a 
dark night, the summits of the hills suddenly shone with a 
weak faint light, which increased by degrees ; then the bright 
moon gradually appeared, and illuminated the tops of the 
mountains, as large beacon-fires would have done ; then again, 
calm, peaceful, and serene, she reflected her soft poetic light 
over the bosom of the lake, as tranquil and unruffled as herself. 
It was indeed an imposing sight. Towards evening, Nature at 
times showed herself in all her commanding splendour, infusing 
a secret terror into the very soul. Everything bore evidence oi 
the sacred influence of the Divine Creator. At a short distance 
from our house we could perceive a mountain, the base of which 
was in the lake and the summit in the clouds. This moun- 
tain served as a lightning conductor to Jala-Jala : it attracted 
the thunder. Frequently heavy black clouds, charged with 
electricity, gathered over this elevated point, looldng like 
other mountains trying to overturn it ; then a storm began, 
the thunder roared tremendously, the rain fell in torrents ; 
every minute frightful claps were heard, and the total dark- 
ness was scarcely broken by the lightning that flashed in long 
streams of fire, dashing from the top and sides of the mountain 
enormous blocks of rock, that were hurled into the lake with a 
fearful crash. It was an admirable exemplification of the power 
of the Almighty ! Soon the calm was restored, the rain ceased, 
the clouds disappeared, the fragrant air bore on its yet damp 
wings the perfume of the flowers and aromatic plants, and Nature 
resumed her ordinary stillness. Hereafter I shall have occasion 
to speak of other events that happened at certain periods, an<l 
were still more alarming, for they lasted twelve hours 



STORMS AND EABTHQUAKKS. 97 

These were gales of wind, called in the Chinese 8eas Tay-Foung. 
At several periods of the year, particularly at the moment of 
the change of the monsoon,* we beheld still more terrifying 
phenomena than our storms — I allude to the earthquakes. 
These fearful convulsions of nature present a very different 
aspect in the country from what they do in cities. If in 
towns the earth begins to quake, everywhere we hear a terrible 
noise ; the edifices give way, and are ready to fall down ; the 
inhabitants rush out of their houses, run along the streets 
which they encumber, and try to escape. The screams of 
frightened children and women bathed in tears are blended 
with those of the distracted men; all are on their knees, with 
clasped hands, their looks raised to Heaven, imploring its mercy 
with sobbing voices. Everything totters, is agitated ; all dread 
death, and terror becomes general. In the country it is totally 
different, and a hundred times more imposing and terrific. For 
instance, in Jala- Jala, at the approach of one of these phenomena, 
a profound, even mournful stillness pervades nature. The wind 
no longer blows ; not a breeze nor even a gentle zephyr is per- 
ceptible. The sun, though cloudless, darkens, and spreads around 
a sepulchral light. The atmosphere is burdened with heavy 
and sultry vapours. The earth is in labour. The frightened 
animals quietly seek shelter from the catastrophe they foresee. 
The groimd shakes ; soon it trembles under their feet. The trees 
move, the mountains quake upon their foundations, and their 
summits appear ready to tumble down. The waters of the 
lake quit their bed, and inundate the country. Still louder 
roaring than that produced by the thunder is heard : the earth 

* During six months the winds blow continually from the north-east, 
and during the other six months from the north-west : these two periods 
are termed north-casi monsoon iind notth-wt'st monsoon. 



98 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES, 

quivers; everywhere its motion is simultaneously felt. But 
after this the convulsion ceases, everything revives. The 
mountains are again firm upon their foundations, and become 
motionless; the waters of the lake return by degrees to 
their proper reservoir ; the heavens are purified and resume 
their brilliant light, and the soft breeze fans the air; the 



\/' 




Herd of Wild Buffaloes. 



•wild buffaloes again scour the plain, and other animals quit 
the dens in which they had concealed themselves ; the earth 
has resumed her stillness, and nature recovered her accus- 
tomed imposing calm. 

I have not sought to enter upon those minute descriptions, 
too tedious generally for the reader; I only wished to give an 



REFORMINa THE BANDITTI. 99 

idea of the various panoramas that were unfolded to our eyes 
whilst at Jala- Jala. 

I now return to the details of my ordinary life. 

As I had killed a wild buffalo when hunting, I had given 
sufficient proofs of my skill, and my Indians were devoted to 
me, because they had confidence in me. Nothing more now 
pre-occupied me, and I spent my time in superintending some 
necessary alterations. Shortly the woods and forests adjoining 
my domain were cut down, and replaced by extensive fields of 
indigo and rice. I stocked the hills with horned cattle, and a 
fine troop of horses with delicate limbs and haughty mien ; 
I also succeeded in dispersing the banditti from Jala-Jala. 
I must say a great many of them abandoned their wandering 
sinfal lives ; I received them on my land, and made good hus- 
bandmen of them . How was it that I had collected such a 
number of recruits ? In a strange manner, I will admit, and 
worthy of relating, as it will show how an Indian allows him- 
self to be influenced and guided, when he has confidence in a 
man whom he looks upon as his superior. I frequently 
walked in the forests alone, with my gun under my arm. 
Suddenly a bandit would spring out, as if by enchantment, 
from behind a tree, armed from top to toe, and advance 
towards me. 

" Master," said he to me, putting one knee to the 
ground, " I will be an honest man; take me under your 
protection!" 

I asked him his name ; if he had been marked out by the 
high court of justice, I would answer him severely: 

" Withdraw, and never present yourself again before me ; 
I cannot forgive you, and if I meet you again, I must do my 
duty " 



100 TWENTY YEARS IN tSe PHILIPPINES. 

If he was unknown to me, 1 would kindly say to Mm ; 

" Follow me." 

I would take him home, and then tell him to lay down his 
arms ; and after having preached to him, and exhorted him to 
persist in his resolution, I would point out to him the spot in 
the village where he might build his cabin, and, in order to 
encourage him, I would advance him some money to support 
himself until he i)ecame transformed from a bandit into an 
agriculturist. I congratulated myself each day on having 
left an open door to repentance, since by my cares I restored to 
an honest and laborious life, people who had gone astray and 
been perverted. I endeavoured also to persuade the Indians 
to abandon their vicious wild customs, without being too severe 
towards them ; to obtain much from them I knew it was neces- 
sary to give way a little. The Indians are passionately fond 
of cards and cock-fighting, as I have said before ; therefore, in 
order not to debar them entirely from these pleasures, I al- 
lowed them to play at cards three times a year — the day of the 
village festival, upon my wife's birthday, and upon my own. 
Woe to the one who was caught playing out of the times pre- 
scribed above ; he was severely punished. As to the cock- 
fights, I allowed them on Sundays and holidays, after Divine 
service. For this purpose I had public arenas built. In these 
arenas, in presence of two judges, whose decrees were without 
appeal, the spectators laid heavy wagers. There is nothing 
more curious than to witness a cock-fight. The two proud 
animals, purposely chosen and trained for the day of the con- 
test, come upon the battle-field armed with long, sharp, steel 
spurs. They bear themselves erect ; their deportment is bold 
and warlike ; they raise their heads, and beat their sides with 
heir wings, the feathers of which spread in the form of the 



TAGAL COCK-FIGHTING. 



101 



proud peacock's fan. They pace the arena haughtily, raising 
their armed legs cautiously, and darting angry looks at each 
other, like two old warriors in armour ready to fight before the 
eyes of an assembled court. Their impatience is violent, their 
courage impetuous ; shortly the two adversaries fall upon and 




Tagal cock-fighting 



attack each other with equal fury ; the sharp weapons they 
wear inflict dreadful wounds, but these intrepid combatants 
appear not to feel the cruel effects. Blood flows ; the cham- 
pions only appear the more animated. The one that is getting 
weak raises his courage at the idea of victory; if he draw 
back, it is only to recruit his strength, to rush with more 



102 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

ardour than ever upon the enemy he wishes to subdue. At 
length when their fate is decided, when one of the heroes, co- 
vered with blood and wounds, falls a victim, or runs away, he 
is declared vanquished, and the battle is ended. 

The Indians assist with a sort of ferocious joy at this 
amusement. Their attention is so captivated by it that they 
do not utter a word, but follow with particular care the most 
minute details of the conflict. Almost all of them train up a 
cock, and treat him for several years with comical tenderness, 
when one reflects that this animal, taken as much care of as a 
child, is destined by its master to perish the iirst day it fights. 
I also found that it was necessary to provide some amusement 
compatible with the tastes, manners, and habits of my former 
bandits, who had led for so long a space of time such a wander- 
ing vagabond life. For this purpose I allowed hunting on all 
parts of my estate, conditionally, however, that I should take 
beforehand, as tithe, a quarter of any stag or wild boar they 
should kill. I do not think that ever a sportsman — one of 
those men reclaimed from the paths of vice to those of virtue- 
failed in this engagement, or endeavoured to steal any game. 
I have often received seven or eight haunches of venison in a 
day, and those who brought them were delighted to be able to 
offer them to me. 

The church I had laid the foundation of was progressing 
rapidly; the population of the township was daily increasing; 
and everything succeeded according to my wishes. I had still 
occasional difficulties with the hardened robbers who surrounded 
me ; but I pursued them without intermission, for it was to 
my interest to remove them from the neighbourhood of my resi- 
dence. Frequently they annoyed me by the alarms that they 
gave us. These resolute, determined men arrived in gangs to 



MY ESCAPES KKOM FIRE-ARMS. 



103 




Tagal Indii.ns. 



besiege our house. My guards surrounded me, and we occa- 
sionally fought skirmishes, which always terminated in our 
favour. Providence has unfathomable secrets. I was never 
struck by a ball from a bandit. I bear the scars of seventeen 
wounds ; but these wounds were made with naked blades. It 
could be said of me, as in I know not which Scotch ballad : " Did 
not the Devil's soldiers pass through the balls, instead of the 
balls passing through them " Yet I have often been fired 
at ; sometimes the barrel of a gun has been pointed at my 
chest, and that at a few paces from me. My clothes have been 
torn by the bullet, but my body has always escaped harm. 

One morning I was cautioned to put myself on my guard, 
because some banditti had met together at a few leagues from 



104 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

my house, and intended attacking it. Hearing this, I armed 
my people, and set out to meet the band that was coming to 
assail me, so as to anticipate their attack. At the place that 
had been indicated to me I found nobody, and passed the day 
in exploring the neighbourhood, in hopes of meeting the 
bandits, but my search was useless. Suddenly the thought 
struck me that a secret enBmy had imposed upon me, and that, 
at the moment I was going to face imaginary danger, perhaps 
my house I had left would be suddenly attacked. I trembled 
— I shivered all over. I gallopped off, and reached home in 
the middle of the night. My fears were but too well-founded 
I had fallen into a snare. I found my servants armed, 
watching, with my wife at their head. " What are you doing 
here ? " I exclaimed, going up to her. " I am keeping watch," 
she replied, with great presence of mind ; " I was told that 
the advice given to you was false ; that you would not find the 
robbers where you expected, and that, during your absence, 
they would come here." This act of heroism proved to me 
what courage and energy God had given to a woman appa- 
rently so delicate. The banditti did not attack us : was there 
not some guardian angel watching over my dwelling ? 

We were more than a year at Jala-Jala without seeing a 
European. One would have thought that we had withdrawn 
ourselves entirely from the civilised world, and that we were 
going to live for ever with the Indians. Our mountains had 
so bad a reputation, that nobody dared expose themselves to 
the thousand dangers they feared to encounter in the locality. 
We were therefore alone, yet still very happy. It was, perhaps, 
the most pleasant time I spent in my life. I was living with a 
beloved and loving wife ; the good work I had undertaken was 
performed under my eyes ; the comfort and happiness, the 



VISIT TO A SICK FEIEND. 105 

natural results of such good work, spread themselves among 
my vassals, who daily became more and more devoted to me. 
How could I have regretted quitting the pleasures and enter- 
tainments of a town, where those diversions and pleasures are 
bought by lies, hypocrisy, and deceit — those three vices oi 
civilised society ? However, the terror spread around by the 
banditti was not great enough to keep away the Europeans 
entirely ; and one morning some people,* mad enough to dare 
to visit a mad man — such was the name given to me at Manilla, 
when I left to go and live in the country — came to see me, 
armed to their very teeth. The surprise of these venturesome 
visitors is impossible to be described, when they found us at 
Jala-Jala, calm, and in perfect safety. Their astonishment 
increased when they went entirely through our colony; and on 
their return to town they gave such an account of our retreat, 
and of the entertainments they found there, that shortly after 
we received more visits, and I had not only to give hospitality 
to friends, but likewise to strangers. If, now and then, our 
affairs compelled us to go to Manilla, we very soon came back 
to our mountains and forests, for there only Anna and myself 
were happy. Very great reasons alone could induce us to leave 
our pleasant abode ; however, a slight event occurred that obliged 
us to quit it for a short time. I was informed that one of my 
friends, who had acted as witness to my marriage, was seriously 
ill.f What the greatest pleasure, the most heartfelt joy, the 
most splendid banquet, could not obtain from me, friendship 
exacted. At this sad intelligence 1 determined at once upon 
going to Manilla, to give my advice to the sick man, whose 
family had solicited my aid ; and as my absence might be 

* At their head was Don Josfe Fuentes, my constant firiend. 
f Don Simon Fernandez, Oidor at the Court Royal. 
E* 



106 



TWENTY VEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES 



^.?'% 



A«* 






'^ 5SP 



Sw 




prolonged, 1 packed up my things, and we left, our hearts 
sadder than ever at having to quit Jala- Jala on so melancholy 
an errand. Upon my arrival there, I was told that my friend 
had heen taken from Manilla to Boulacan, a province to the 
north of that town, where it was hoped the country air would 
hasten his recovery. I left Anna at her sister's, and went off to 
join Don Simon, whom I found convalescent; my presence was 
almost useless, and the journey I had made resulted in shaking 
affectionately my former comrade by the hand, whom I would 
not leave until convinced that he was entirely recovered. 

In order to utilise my time, I decided upon making a tour to 
the north into the provinces of Ilocos and Pangasinan. I had 



MY JOURNEY TO THE TINGUIANS. 107 

my reasons for so doing : I wished, if possible, to make an ex- 
cursion to the Tinguians and Igorrots, wild populations, who were 
much talked of, but little known. I wished to study them myself. 
I took the precaution not to confide this idea to anybody, for 
then, indeed, people would not have known what name to give 
my folly. I made my preparations, and set out with my faithful 
lieutenant, Alila, who never left me, and who was justly styled 
Mabouti-Tao. We were mounted upon good horses, that carried 
us along like gazelles to Vigan, the chief town of the province 
of South Ilocos, where we left the animals. From there we 
took a guide, who conducted us on foot to the east, close to a 
small river called Abra (opening). This river is the only issue 
by which we could penetrate to the Tinguians. It winds 
around high mountains of basalt ; its sides are steep ; its bed is 
encumbered with immense blocks of rock, fallen from the 
sides of the mountains, which render it impossible to walk 
along its banks. To reach the Tinguians, it is necessary to 
have recourse to a slight skiff, that can easily pass through the 
current and the most shallow parts. My guide and my lieu- 
tenant soon contrived to make a small raft of bamboos ; when it 
was finished we embarked, Alila and myself, our guide refusing 
to accompany us. After much trouble and fatigue, casting our- 
selves often into the water to draw our raft along, we at length 
got clear of the first range of mountains, and perceived, in a 
small plain, the first Tinguian village. When we reached 
there we got out, and went towards the huts we had distin- 
guished in the distance. I allow it was acting rather foolishly 
to go and thus expose ourselves, in the midst of a colony of 
ferocious and cruel men whose language we did not know ; but 
I relied upon my usual good fortune. I will add that I had 
taken divers objects with me to give as presents, trusting to 



108 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES 

meet some inliabitant speaking the Tagaloc language. I 
walked on, then, without troubling myself about what would 
become of us. In a few minutes we reached the nearest cabins, 
and the inhabitants gave us at first an unwelcome reception. 
Frightened at seeing us approach, they advanced towards us, 
armed with hatchets and spears ; we waited for them without 
recoiling in the least. I spoke to them by signs, and showed 
them some necklaces of glass beads, to make them understand 
we were friendly disposed. They deliberated among them- 
selves, and when they had held their consultation, they 
beckoned us to follow them. We obeyed. They led us to 
their chief, who was an old man. My generosity was greater 
towards him than it had been to his subjects. He appeared so 
delighted with my presents, that he immediately put us at our 
ease, by making us understand that we had nothing to fear, 
and that he took us under his special protection. 

This pleasing reception encouraged us. 

I then set about examining with attention the men, 
women, and children who surrounded us, and who seemed as 
much astonished as ourselves. My amazement was very great 
when I beheld tall men, slightly bronzed, with straight hair, 
regular features, aquiline noses, and really handsome, elegant 
women. Was I really among savages ? I should rather have 
thought I was among the inhabitants of the south of France, 
had it not been for the costume and language. The only 
clothing the men wore was a sash, and a sort of a turban, made 
out of the bark of the fig tree. They were armed, as they 
always are, with a long spear, a small hatchet, and a shield. 
The women also wore a sash, and a small narrow apron that 
came down to their knees. Their heads were ornamented with 
pearls, coral beads, and pieces of gold, twisted among their 



TINGUIAN MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 109 

hair ; the upper parts of their hands were painted blue ; their 
wrists adorned with interwoven bracelets, spangled with glass 
beads- — these bracelets reached the elbow, and formed a kind 
of half-plaited sleeve. On this subject I learnt a remarkable 
fact. These interwoven bracelets squeeze the arm very much ; 
they are put on when the women are quite young, and they 
prevent the development of the flesh to the advantage of the 
wrist and hand, which swell and become dreadfully big ; this 
is a mark of beauty with the Tinguians, as a small foot is 
with the Chinese, and a small waist with the European ladies. 
I was quite astonished to find myself in the midst of this 
population, where there was no reason whatsoever to be alarmed. 
One thing only annoyed me ; it was the odour that these people 
spread around them, which could be smelt even at a distance 
However, the men and women are cleanly, for they are in the 
habit of bathing twice daily. I attributed the disagreeable 
smell to their sash and turban, which they never leave off, but 
allow to fall into rags. I remarked that the reception given 
me by the chief gained us the good-will of all the inhabitants, 
and T accepted, without hesitation, the hospitality proffered us. 
This was the only means of studying well the manners and 
customs of my new hosts. 

The territory occupied by the Tinguians is. situated about 
17 degrees north latitude, and 27 degrees west longitude; it 
is divided into seventeen villages. Each family possesses two 
habitations, one for the day and the other for the night. The 
abode for the day is a small cabin, made of bamboos and straw, 
in the same style as most Indian huts ; the one for the night 
is smaller, and perched upon great posts, or on the top of a tree, 
about sixty or eighty feet above the ground. This height 
surprised me, but I understood this precaution when I knew 



110 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

that thus, under shelter at night, the Tinguians are saved 
from the nocturnal attacks of the Guinanes, their mortal 
enemies, and defend themselves with the stones which they 
throw from the tops of the trees.* In the middle of each 
village there is a large shed, in which are held the assemblies, 
festivities, and public ceremonies. I had been already two 
days in the village of Palan (this was the name of the place 
where 1 stopped at), when the chiefs received a message from 
the small town of Laganguilan y Madalag, that lies far off to 
the east. By this message the chiefs were informed that the 
inhabitants of this district had fought a battle, and that they 
had been victorious. 

The inhabitants of Palan hearing this news screamed with 
ioy ; it was quite a tumult when they heard that a fete would 
be given in commemoration of the success at Laganguilan y 
Madalag. All wished to be present — men, women, children ; 
all desired to go to it. But the chiefs chose a certain number 
of warriors, some women, and a great many young girls : they 
made their preparations and set out. It was too favourable an 
opportunity for me not to avail myself of it, and I earnestly 
begged my hosts to allow me to accompany them. They con- 
sented, and the same night we set out on our journey, being in 
all thirty in number. The men wore their arms, which are 
composed of a hatchet, that they call aligua, a sharp-pointed 
spear of bamboo, and a shield ; the women were muffled up in 
their finest ornaments. I remarked that these garments were 
cotton materials, of showy colours. We walked one behind 
another, according to the custom of the savages. We went 

* The most bitter enemies of the Tinguians are a race of cruel, blood- 
thirsty savages, who inhabit the interior of the mountains. They have also 
to fear the Igorrots, who live nearer, but who are less savage. 



AN INDIAN FETE — HOERIBLE CEBEMONIES. Ill 

through many villages, the inhabitants of which were also going 
to the f^te ; we crossed over mountains, forests, torrents, and at 
last, at break of day, we reached Laganguilan y Madalag. This 
small town was the scene of much rejoicing. On all sides 
the sound of the gong and tom-tom were heard. The first 
of these instruments is of a Chinese shape ; the second is in 
the form of a sharp cone, covered over at the bottom with a 
deer's skin. 

Towards eleven o'clock, the chiefs of the town, followed 
by all the population, directed their steps towards the large 
shed. There everyone took his place on the ground, each 
party, headed by its chiefs, occupying a place marked out for it 
beforehand. In the middle of a circle formed by the chiefs of the 
warriors were large vessels, full of basi, a beverage made with 
the fermented juice of the sugar-cane ; and four hideous heads 
of Guinans entirely disfigured — these were the trophies of the 
victory. When all the assistants had taken their places, a 
champion of Laganguilan y Madalag took one of the heads 
and presented it to the chiefs of the town, who showed it to 
all the assistants, making a long speech comprehending many 
praises for the conquerors. This discourse being over, the 
warrior took up the head, divided it with strokes of his 
hatchet, and took out the brains. During this operation, 
so unpleasant to witness, another champion got a second 
head, and handed it to the chiefs, the same speech was 
delivered, then he broke the skull to pieces in like manner, 
and took out the brains. The same was done with the four 
bleeding skulls of the subdued enemies. When the brains 
were taken out, the young girls pounded them with their hands 
into the vases containing the liquor of the fermented sugar- 
cane ; thev stirred the mixture round, and then the vases were 



119 TWENTY YEARS J.N THE PHILIPPINES. 

taken to the chiefs, who dipped in their small osier goblets, 
through the fissures of which the liquid part ran out, and the 
solid part that remained at the bottom they drank with ecstatic 
sensuality. I felt quite sick at this scene, so entirely new to 
me. After the chieftains' turn came the turn of the cham- 
pions. I'he vases were presented to them, and each one 
sipped with delight this frightful drink, to the noise of 
wild songs. There was really something infernal in this 
sacrifice to victory. 

We sat in a circle and these vases were carried round. I 
well understood that we were about undergoing a disgusting 
test. Alas ! I had not long to wait for it. The warriors 
planted themselves before me, and presented me with the basi 
and the frightful cup. All eyes were fixed upon me. The 
invitation was so direct, to refuse it would perhaps be exposing 
myself to death ! It is impossible to describe the interior con- 
flict that passed within me. i would rather have preferred 
the carbine of a bandit five paces from my chest ; or await, 
as I had already done, the impetuous attack of the wild 
buffalo. What a perplexity ! I shall never forget that awful 
moment. It struck me with terror and disgust ; however, I 
contained myself, nothing betraying my emotion. I imitated 
the savages, and, dipping the osier goblet into the drink, I 
approached it to my lips, and passed it to the unfortunate Alila, 
who could not avoid this infernal beverage. The sacrifice was 
complete ; the libations were over, but not the songs. The 
basi is a very spirituous and inebriating liquor, and the assist- 
ants, who had partaken rather too freely of this horrible drink, 
sang louder to the noise of the tom-tom and the gong, while 
the champions divided the human skulls into small pieces 
destined to be sent as presents to all their friends. The 




ijW^'j^jS^-*-^ 








SONGS AND DANCES OUR NIGHT WATCH. 113 

distribution was made during the sitting, after which, the chiefa 
declared the ceremony over. They then danced. The savages 
divided themselves into two lines, and howling, as if they were 
furious madmen or terribly provoked, they jumped about, lay- 
ing their right hand upon the shoulder of their partners, and 
changing places with them. These dances continued all day ; 
at last night came on, each inhabitant retired with his family 
and some few guests to his aerial abode, and soon afterwards 
tranquillity was restored. 

We cannot help feeling astonished, when we are in Europe — 
in a good bed, under a warm eider-down coverlet, the head lux- 
uriously reclining upon good pillows — when we reflect on the 
singular homes of the savages in the woods. How often have 
I represented to myself these families — roosting eighty feet 
above ground, upon the tops of trees. However, I know that 
they sleep as quietly in those retreats, open to every wind, as 
I in my well-closed and quiet room. Are they not like the 
birds who repose at their sides upon the branches ? Have they 
not Nature for a mother, that admirable guardian of all she 
has made, and do they not also close their eyelids under the 
tutelary looks of the Supreme Father of the universe ? 

My faithful Alila retired with me into one of the low- 
storied cabins to pass the night, as we had been in the habit of 
doing while staying with the Tinguians. For our better security 
we were accustomed to watch one another alternately; we 
never both slept at the same time. Without being timid, 
ought we not to be prudent ? This night it was my turn to 
go to sleep the first. I went to bed, but the impressions of 
the day had been too strong : I felt no inclination to sleep. 
I therefore offered to relieve my aeutenant of his watch; the 
poor fellow was like myself — the heads of the Guinans kept 

H 



114 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

danciug before his eyes. He beheld them pale, bloody, hideous; 
then torn, pounded, broken to pieces; then the shocking 
beverage of the brains, that he also so courageously swallowed, 
came back to his mind, and he suffered sufficiently to make 
him repent our visit " Master," said he to me, looking very 
much grieved, "why did we come among these devils? Ah! 
it would have been much better had we remained in our good 
country of Jala-Jala." He was not perhaps in the wrong, 
but my desire to see extraordinary things gave me a courage 
and a will he did not partake of. I answered him thus : 
" Man must know all, and see all it is possible to see. As we 
cannot sleep, and that we are masters here, let us make a night 
visit ; perhaps we shall find things that are unknown to us. 
Light the fire and follow me, Alila." The poor lieutenant obeyed 
without answering a word. He rubbed two pieces of bamboo one 
against the other, and I heard him muttering between his teeth : 
" What cursed idea has the master now? What shall we 
see in this miserable cabin — with the exception of the Tic- 
balan* or Assiian? \ We shall find nothing else." During the 
Indian's reflections the fire burnt up. I lit, without saying a 
word, a cotton wick, plastei'ed over with elemi gum, that I 
always carried with me in my travels, and I began exploring. 
I went all through the inside of the habitation without finding 
anything, not even the Tic-balan, or Assuan, as my lieutenant 
imagined. I was beginning to think my search fruitless, when 
the idea struck me to go down to the ground-floor of the cabin, 
for all the cabins are raised about eight or ten feet above 
ground, and the under part of the floor, closed with bamboos, 
is used as a store : I descended. Anyone who could have 

• Evil Spirit. f A malicious divinity of the Tagalocs 



DISCOVEEY OF A SECRET WELL. 116 

seen me — a white man, a European, the child of another hemi- 
sphere — wander by night, with a taper in my hand, about the 
hut of a Tinguian Indian, would have been really surprised at 
my audacity, and 1 may almost say, my obstinacy, in seeking out 
danger while pursuing the wonderful and unknown. But I went 
on, without reflecting on the strangeness of my conduct : as the 
Indians say : "I was following my destiny." When I had 
reached the ground, I perceived in the middle of a square, 
inclosed with bamboos, a sort of trap, and I stopped quite 
pleased. Alila looked at me with astonishment. I lifted up 
the trap, and saw a rather deep well ; I looked into it with my 
light, but could not discover the bottom of it. Upon the sides 
only, at a depth of about six or seven yards, I thought I dis- 
tinguished some openings that I took for entrances into sub- 
terraneous galleries. What had I now discovered? Was I, 
like Gil Bias, about to penetrate into the midst of an as- 
semblage of banditti, living in the internal parts of the 
earth ; or should I find, as in the tales of the "Arabian Nights," 
some beautiful young girls, prisoners of some wicked magi- 
cian ? Indeed, my curiosity increased in proportion to my dis- 
coveries. " There is something strange here," said I to my 
lieutenant; "light a second match, I will go down to the 
bottom of the well." Hearing this order, my faithful Alila 
shrunk back in dismay, and ventured to say to me, in a fright- 
fully dismal tone : 

" Why, master, you are not content to see what is upon the 
earth, you must also see what is inside of it!" 

This simple observation made me smile. He continued : 
" You wish to leave me alone here ; and if the souls of the 
Guinans whose brains I have just drank come to fetch me, what 
Vv'ill become of me ? You will not be here to defend me ! 

My lieutenant would not have been frightened at twenty 



116 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

banditti, he would have struggled against every one of them 
until death; but his legs trembled, his voice faltered, he was 
terrified at the idea of remaining alone in this cabin, exposed 
to the view of the spirit of a Guinan, which would come and 
ask him to restore his brains ! Whilst he addressed me these 
complaints, I had leant my back against one side of the well, 
my knees were applied against the other, and down I went. 
I had already descended about four yards, when I felt some 
rubbish falling upon me. I raised my head, and saw Alila 
coming down too. The poor fellow would not remain alone. 
" Well done," said I to him, " you are becoming curious too ; 
you will be rewarded, believe me, for we shall see fine sights." 
And I continued my under-ground research. After proceeding 
six or seven yards I reached the opening I had remarked from 
above, and stopped. I placed my light before me, and espied 
a corner, where sat the dried black corpse of a Tinguian in 
the same state as a mummy. I said nothing ; I waited for 
my lieutenant, anxious as I was to enjoy his surprise. When 
he was aside of me: "Look, look," I exclaimed; "what is 
that?" He was stupified. "Master," said he at last, "I 
entreat of you to leave this place ; let us get out of this cursed 
hole ! Take me to fight against the Tinguians of the village — 
I am quite willing to do that — but do not remain among the 
dead ! What should we do with our arms, if they suddenly 
appeared to ask us why we are here ? " " Be quiet," I answered 
him; " we shall go no farther." I felt satisfied that this well 
was a tomb, and that lower down I should see some more 
Tinguians in a state of preservation. I respected the abode 
of the dead, and came up, to Alila's great satisfaction. We 
out everything in its place, and returned to the upper story of 
the cabin. I soon fell asleep, but my lieutenant could not : the 
thoughts of the mummy and horrible beverage kept him awake. 




Guman Indians. 



CHAPTEE VI. 



Visit to Manabo — Conversation with my Guide — Eeligion of the Tingniane — 
Their Marriage Ceremony — Funereal Rites — Mode of Warfare-:— I take leave 
of the Tinguians — Journey to the Igorrots — Description of them — Their 
Dwellings — A Fortunate Escape — Alila and the Bandits — Recollections ol 
Home — A Majestic Fig-tree — Superstition of Alila — Interview with an Igorrot 
— The Human Hand — Nocturnal Adventure — Consternation of Alila — Prtv 
bable Origin of the Tinguians and Igorrots. 

rjlHE following morning, before dawn, our hosts began to 
-L descend from their high regions, and we left our temporary 
abode, to make preparations for our departure. I had resided 
long enough at Laganguilan y Madalag. I was desirous of 



118 TWENTY YEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

Visiting Manabo, a large village, situated at a short distance 
from Laganguilan. I availed myself of the presence of the 
inhabitants of Manabo, who had come to assist at the Brain 
Feast— this was the appellation I had given to this savage 
fete — and I set out with them. Among the troop there was 
one who had spent some time among the Tagalocs ; he spoke 
their language a little, and I knew it tolerably well. I profited 
by this fortunate occurrence, and during the whole of the way 
I conversed with this savage, and questioned him upon the 
habits, customs, and manners of his fellow-countrymen. One 
point particularly pre-occupied me. I was unacquainted with 
the religion of these people, so very curious to study. Until 
then I had seen no temple ; nothing that bore resemblance to 
an idol ; I knew not what God they worshipped. My guide, 
chatty for an Indian, gave me quickly every information neces- 
sary. He told me that the Tinguians have no veneration for 
the stars ; they neither adore the sun, nor moon, nor the 
constellations ; they believe in the existence of a soul, and 
pretend that after death it quits the body, and remains in the 
family. As to the god that they adore, it varies and changes 
form according to chance and circumstances. And here is 
the reason : When a Tinguian chief has found in the 
country a rock, or a trunk of a tree, of a strange shape — I 
mean to say, representing tolerably well either a dog, cow, or 
buflfalo — he informs the inhabitants of the village of his dis- 
covery, and the rock, or trunk of a tree, is immediately con- 
sidered as a divinity — that is to say, as something superior to 
man. Then all the Indians repair to the appointed spot, carry- 
ing with them provisions and live hogs. When they have 
reached their destination they raise a straw roof above the new 
idol, to cover it, and make a sacrifice by roasting hogs ; then, at 



TINGTJIAN MARRIAGE CEREMONY. 119 

the sound of instruments, they eat, drink, and dance until they 
have no provisions left. When all is eaten and drank, they 
set fire to the thatched roof, and the idol is forgotten until 
the chief, having discovered another one, commands a new 
ceremony. 

With regard to the morals of the Tinguians, my guide in- 
formed me that the Tinguian has generally one legitimate 
wife, and many mistresses; hut the legitimate wife alone in- 
nabits the conjugal house, and the mistresses have each of them 
a separate cabin. The marriage is a contract between the two 
families of the married couple. The day of the ceremony, 
the man and wife bring their dowry in goods and chattels ; the 
marriage portion is composed of china vases, glass, coral 
beads, and sometimes a little gold powder. It is of no profit 
to the married couple, for they distribute it to their relations. 
This custom, my guide observed to me, has been established 
to prevent a divorce, which could only take place in entirely 
restituting all the objects that were contributed at the mar- 
riage by the party asking for divorce — a rather skilful expe- 
dient for savages, and worthy of being the invention of civi- 
lised people. The relatives thus become much interested in 
preventing the separation, as they would be obliged to resti- 
tute the presents received ; and, if one of the couple persisted 
in requesting it, they would prevent him or her by making 
away with one of the objects furnished, such as a coral neck- 
lace, or a china vase. Without this wise measure, it is to be 
supposed that a husband, with mistresses, would very often 
endeavour to obtain a divorce. My fellow-traveller enlightened 
me upon all the points that I wished to investigate. The 
government, said he to me, after resting himself for a few 
minutes, is very patriarchal. It is the oldest man who com 



130 TWENTY YEABS IN THE PHILIPPINES 

mands. — As at Lacedasmonia, thought I, for there old age 
was honoured. — The laws are perpetuated by tradition, as the 
Tinguians have no idea of writing. In some instances they 
apply the punisiiment of death. When the fatal sentence has 
been pronounced, the Tinguian who has merited it must 
escape, if he wishes to avoid it, and go and live in the forests ; 
for, the old men having spoken, all the inhabitants are bound 
to perform their orders. Society is divided into two classes, 
as with the Tagalocs, the chiefs and the commonalty. Who- 
ever possesses and can exhibit to the public a certain number 
of china vases is considered a chief. These jars constitute all 
the wealth of the Tinguians. We were still conversing about 
the natives of the country when we reached Manabo. My 
guide had scarcely ceased talking all the way from Laganguilan. 
My attention was now attracted by some flames that were 
issuing from under a cabin, where a large fire was burning. 
Around it many people were sitting, howling like wolves. 

" Ah ! ah !" said my guide, seemingly very pleased ; " here 
is a funeral. I did not tell you anything about these ceremo- 
nies ; but you will judge for yourself of what they are. It 
will be time enough to-morrow. Yoa must be tired. I will 
take you to my day-cabin, and you may repose yourself without 
any danger of the Guinans, for a funeral compels a great many 
people to be on the watch all night." 

I accepted the offer made to me, and we took possession of 
the Tinguian cabin. It was my turn to take the first watch, 
and my poor Alila, a little more at his ease, fell into a sound 
sleep. I followed his example, after my watch, and we did 
not wake up until it was broad daylight. 

We had scarcely finished our morning repast, composed of 
kidney-potatoes, palms, and dried venison, when my guide of 



FUNEREAL RITES. 131 

the preceding day came to conduct me to the spot where th© 
funeral of the deceased was about to take place. I followed 
him, and placing ourselves a few steps from the cortege, we 
assisted at a strange sight. The deceased sat in the middle of 
his cabin upon a stool ; underneath him, and at his side, fires 
were burning in enormous chafing-dishes ; at a short distance 
about thirty assistants were seated in a circle. Ten or twelve 
women formed another circle ; they were seated nearer to the 
corpse, close by which the widow was also placed, and who 
was distinguished by a white veil, that covered her from head 
to foot. The women brought some cotton, with which they 
wiped off the moisture that the fire caused to exude from the 
corpse, which was roasting by degrees. From time to time 
one of the Tinguians spoke, and pronounced, in a slow, har- 
monious tone of voice, a speech, which he concluded by a sort of 
laugh, that was imitated by all the assistants ; after which 
they stood up, eat some pieces of dried meat, and drank some 
basi; they then repeated the last words of the orator, and 
danced. 

I endured — such is the word — this sight for an hottr; but 
I did not feel courage enough to remain in the cabin any 
longer. The odour that exhaled from the corpse was unbear- 
able. I went out, and breathed the fresh air ; my guide fol 
lowed me, and I begged him to tell me what had occurred 
from the beginning of the illness of the deceased. 

" Willingly," he answered me. 

Delighted to breathe freely, I listened with interest to the 
following recital : 

"When Dalayapo," said the narrator, "fell sick, they took 
him to the grand square, to apply severe remedies to him ,• that 
is to say, all the men of the village came in arms, and, to the 

F 



129 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPIMES 

sound of the gong and the tom-tom, they danced around 
the sick man from the rising to the setting of the suu. But 
this grand remedy had no effect — his illness was incurable. 
At the setting of the sun they placed our friend in his house, 
and no more heed was paid to him : his death was certain, 
as he would not dance with his fellow-countrymen." 

I smiled at the remedy and the reasoning, but 1 did not 
interrupt the narrator. 

" For two days Dalayapo was in a state of suffering ; then, 
at the end of those two days, he breathed no more ; and, when 
that was perceived, they immediately put him on the bench 
where we saw him just now. Then the provisions that he pos- 
sessed were gathered together to feed the assistants, who paid 
him all due honours. Each one made a speech in his praise : 
his nearest relations began the first, and his body was sur- 
rounded with fire to dry it up. When the provisions are 
consumed, the strangers will leave the cabin, and only the 
widow and a few relations will wait until the body is thoroughly 
dried. In a fortnight's time he will be placed in a large hole 
that is dug under his house. He will be put in a niche, or 
aperture, in the wall, where already his deceased relatives' 
remains are deposited, and then all is over." 

This hole, thought I, must be similar to the one I went 
into the other night at Laganguilan. 

The explanation that I had just received completely satis- 
fied me, and I did not request to be present again at the 
ceremony. I resolved, since I was very comfortably seated, 
under the shade of a halete, upon availing myself of the obliging 
disposition of my guide, to ask him to inform me, suddenly 
changing the conversation all the while, how his tribe managed 
to wage war on the Guinans, their mortal enemies. 



JUODfi OF WARFARE. 



123 




Weapons of the Thjgoian Indians^ 



"The Guinans," said he to me, without drawing in any 
way on my patience, " wear the same arms as we do. They 
are neither stronger, nor more skilful, nor more vigorous. 
We have two modes of fighting them. Sometimes we give 
them a grand battle at mid-day, and then we meet them face 
to face, under a burning sun ; at other times, during some dark 
night, we creep in silence to their dwelling-places, and if we be 
able to surprise any of them we cut off their heads, which we 
take away with us, and then we get up a feast, such as you 
have already witness'ed." 

That word "feast" recalled to my mind the sanguinary 
orgie, or carousing, I had been present at, and particularly the 
share I had taken in it, so that I felt I was blushing and 
growing pale by turns. The Indian took no heed of it, and 
went on thus : 

" In the grand battles all the men belonging to a village 
are compelled to take up arms, and to march against the foo. 



134 TWENTY YEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

It is generally in the midst of a wood that the two armies 
meet. As soon as they come in sight of each other thej 
Bet up crying and howling on both sides. Each man then 
rushes upon his enemy, and upon this shock depends the fate 
of the victory ; for one of the armies is always panic-struck, 
and scampers away ; then it is that the other pursues it, and 
kills as many as possible, taking care to preserve the heads, 
which they bring home with them."* 

" Why it is a hide-and-seek fight, the consequences of which 
are, however, very cruel," I said. My Indian was of the same 
opinion, and rejoined : 

" In general the conquerors are ever those who are 
cleverest in concealing themselves, in order to surprise their 
enemies, and who then dash on them bawling and howling." 

Here my guide stopped short, the fight having no longer 
any interest for him; and then, perceiving I questioned him no 
longer, he left me to myself, when I returned to my habitation 
and Alila, who was sick enough of Manabo. For my own 
part I had seen enough of the Tinguiaus, and besides I thought 
I had observed that they seemed not too well pleased with the 
long stay I had made among them. I passed over in my 
mind the brain feast, so I resolved upon leaving. I therefore 
went to take leave of the elders. Unfortunately I had nothing 
to offer them, but I promised them many presents, when I 
should get back among the Christians — and then I left them. 

The satisfaction of my faithful lieutenant was at its height 
when we started for home. Not being disposed to go back by 
the same way I had come, I determined upon keeping more tc 

• It IS on account of this cruel custom of beheading their victima that 
the Spaniards have given to these savages the name of " carta cabeaat," 
' decapitators." 



JOURNEY TO THE IGORROTS. 195 

the east, crossing over the mountains, and upon taking the sun 
as my guide. This road seemed preferable to me, inasmuch 
as I was about to traverse a country inhabited by a few Igor- 
rots, that other species of the savage tribe I was not ac- 
quainted with. The mountains we crossed over were crowned 
with magnificent forests. Now and then we perceived lovely 
fertile valleys below our feet, and the grass was so high and 
thick-set, that it was with great difficulty we could pass through 
it. During our journey, my lieutenant kept a sharp look-out, 
wishing to kill some game for our support. As for myself, 1 
was indeed far from thinking of the pleasure of shooting, so 
great was my contemplation of the admirable panoramic 
views that we met with every moment ; and I was too much 
enraptured with the virgin and fruitful soil that spread itself 
so incommensurately around us to think even of eating. But 
my faithful Alila was less an enthusiast than I was myself : 
however, in return, he wds more prudent. At the close of the 
day on which we started he killed a stag ; so we halted on the 
brmk of a stream, cut off some palm-tree strips, in guise of 
rice and bread, and set about eating the roasted liver of the 
animal. Our repast was truly a copious one. Ah I how often 
since that time, when seated before a richly served table — 
having before me delicious and recherche viands, and that in 
dining-rooms where the atmosphere was balmy and perfumed 
by the aroma arising from the highly flavoured dishes — how 
often, I say, have I regretted the supper I partook of with Alila 
in the forest, after a day's ramble on the mountains ! Nay, 
what mortal could forget such hours — such places ? 

Our repast over, we made our bed of some branches we 
lopped off from the trees, and which we joined together 
on the very moist soil in the interior of the vast forest, and 



126 TWENTY YEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

there we s]ept soundly till the morrow, without fear, and par- 
ticularly without having any sombre or disagreeable dreams 
At the dawn of day we were on foot again, all Nature seeming 
to wake up with ourselves. Oh ! how fine and calm did she 
appear to us ! The vapours that arose from her breast covered 
her all over with a veil, like a young virgin at her waking ; 
and then this veil by degrees would break up into pieces, 
which pieces, gently balanced on the morning breeze, would 
disappear, and be lost on the tops of the trees or the summits 
of the rocks. On we walked for a long time, till at last, 
towards the middle of the day, we came to a small plain 
inhabited by the Igorrots. We found, in all, three cabins, or 
huts, so that the population was far from being large. At the 
door of one of these cabins I saw a man, of about sixty years 
of age, and a few women. As we had arrived from behind the 
huts we took the savages by surprise, so that they had no time 
to fly at our approach : we were in the midst of them. 

I assumed the line of conduct I had pursued on arriving 
at Palan, but as I had no more coral beads or coloured glass. 
I presented them with a part of our stag, making them under- 
stand at the same time that we came with the most friendly 
intentions. From that moment there was established between 
us a very curious sort of mimic conversation, during which I 
was able to examine at my ease the new race of beings I saw 
around me. I perceived that the costume of the Igorrots 
was pretty nearly the same as that of the Tinguians, the 
ornaments excepted, but their features and physiognomy were 
quite different. The men were smaller, their breasts being 
exceedingly broad, their heads immensely big, their limbs 
developed, their strength herculean; their shape was not so 
handsome as that of the savages I had just left ; their colour 



THEIR DWELLINGS. 137 

of a dark bronze, very dark indeed; their noses are less 
aquiline, their eyes yellow and fully open — a la Chinoise. The 
women's shape was also very protuberant, their complexion dark, 
their hair long, and combed up — a la Chinoise. Unfortunately 
it was impossible for me, with all my mimicry, to obtain the 
information I wished for, so I was obliged to content myself 
with visiting the cabin, which was a real hut, having but the 
ground-floor. The surrounding parts were closed in by very 
thick piles, covered with a roof in the form of a bee-hive. 
There was but one issue, through which it was impossible to 
have either egress or ingress, except in crawling on all-fours. 
In spite of this difficulty I would see the interior of this Indian 
dwelling ; so, having made a sign to my lieutenant to keep 
watch, I penetrated into the hut. The Igorrots seemed quite 
surprised at my so doing, but they made no opposition to it. 
I found myself within an obnoxious hole, or hovel, through a 
small opening in the summit of -which the daylight peeped in 
and the smoke crept out. The floor was thickly covered with 
dust, and it was upon such a soft couch that the whole family 
laid down to rest. In one of the corners I perceived some 
bamboo lances, a few cocoa-nuts divided into two parts, so as 
to serve as cups, a heap of good-sized round pebbles, that were 
used in case of attack, and a few pieces of wood, of very 
common workmanship, that served as pillows. 

I soon got out of such a den, from which I was driven by 
the nauseous smell it contained in its every part, but I had 
been able to see everything in it. I then inquired, by signs, 
of the Igorrot, the way I should go, in order to join the 
Christians. He fully understood me, showed me the road 
with his finger, and we then proceeded on our journey. As I 
journeyed on, I remarked here and there fields of palates and 



1!28 TWENTY YEARS IN THK PHUJPPXNES. 

sugar-cane, wliich of course must have been the only husbandry 
of those miserable savages. After about an hour's journey we 
were near running into a very great danger. On entering into 
a vast plain we saw an Igorrot, living away as quickly as 
possible. He had remarked us, and I attributed his flight to 
fear, when suddenly I heard the sound of the tom-tom and 
gong, and saw, at the same time, twenty men armed with 
lances, rapidly advancing towards us. I felt that a fight was 
about to ensue, so I told my lieutenaiit to fire at the group, so 
as to injure none of them. 

Alila fired : his bullet passed over the heads of the savages, 
who were so astonished at the detonation that they suddenly 
halted, and e.\amined us attentively. I prudently took 
vantage of their surprise, and an immense forest presenting 
itself on our right, we entered it, leaving the village on our 
left, but the savages did not follow us into it. 

During the whole of this scene my lieutenant did not 
utter a word. I had already remarked tb.at when in pre 
sence of danger he became dumb, but when he had lost sight 
of the Igorrots his speech and loquacity returned to him. 

" Master," said he to me, in a very dissatisfied tone, "how 
I do regret not having fired directly into the middle of those 
miscreants!" 

" And why so ?" asked I. 

" Because I am certain I should have killed one of them 
at least." 

"Well?" 

" Well, master, our journey would not have terminated 
without our sending at least one soul of a savage to the devil." 

" Ah ! Alila," said I ; "so you have become wicked and 
naughty, have you?" 



AMI.A AND TIIK BANDITS. 129 

"No, no, no, mastor," replied ho; " but I cannot concoive 
why you are so kind and compaHsionalo to that iiifcrnal race. 
You, who purauo and porsocute tlie Tutisans,* wiio are a 
hundred times better tlian the.se wretciies are, and who are 
ChristiiuiH bcHJdes." 

" What !" cried I ; " brigands, robbers, and assassins better 
tliiiM poor primitive beings, who have no one to guide and 
conduct them to the path of virtue !" 

"Oh, master!" replied my lieutenant, and most senten 
tiously tliis time; "Oh ! the brigands, as it pleases you to call 
them, are in nowise what you think them. The Tulisan is 
not an assassin. When he takes away life it is onlj when he 
is compelled, in defence of his own, and if he do kill, wiiy ii is 
always de bon coeur." 

" Oh ! oh!" said I; " and the robberies — how do you ex- 
plain ihera ?" 

" If he rob, why it is only to get possession of a little of the 
superfluity of the rich, and that he divides among the poor — 
that's all. Now, master, do you know what u&e the 'i'ulisan 
makes of his plunder?" 

'• No, indeed, master Alila," answered I, smilingly. 

"Well, he keeps nothing of it for himself," said my lieu- 
tenant, with great pride ; " in the first place he gives a part 
of it to the priest, to have masses said for him." 

" Indeed ! it is mighty edifying — go on." 

" And tlien ho gives another part of it to his mistress, or 
bonne amie, because he loves her. and likes to see her linelv 
dressed out; and us for the reniiiinder, why, faitli! he spends it 
among his friends. You may therefore see, master, that tlui 
j.ulisan possesses himself of the superfluity of one person to 

• Banditti. 

F 



130 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

satisfy several other persons with it.* Oh ! but he is faT» v^ry 
far indeed, from being so wicked as those savages, who kilt 
you without saying a word to you, and then eat up your brains — 
fie!" And here Alila heaved a deep sigh, for the brain feast 
was ever present to his mind. His conversation so interested 
me, his system was so curious, and he himself so frank in 
drawing it out, that I almost forgot the Igorrots in listening 
to him. 

We pursued our road through the wood, keeping as much 
as possible to the south, in order to get near the province of 
Batangas, where I was to meet my poor patient, who no doubt 
was very uneasy about my long absence. When I sr.aried 1 
said not a word about my project, and had I done so it is most 
likely I should have been thought as no longer belonging to this 
world. The recollection of my wife, whom I had left at Manilla, 
and who was far from supposing me to be among the Igorrots, 
inspired me with the most anxious desire of returning home to 
my family as qaick as possible. Absorbed in my thoughts 
and carried away by my reflections, I walked silently along 
without even casting a glance upon the luxuriant vegetation al 
around us. I must indeed have been very much pre-occupied. 
for a virgin forest between the tropics, and particularly in the 
Philippine islands, is in nowise to be compared with our 
European forests. I was aroused from my pensiveness, and 
recalled to the remembrance of mj whereabouts, by the noise of 
a torrent, and I gratefully admired nature in her gigantic pro- 
ductions. I looked up, and before me I perceived an immense 
halete, an extraordinary fig-tree, that thrives in the sombre and 
mysterious forests of the Philippines, and I stopped to admire 

* " The nakedness of the poor might be clothed out of the trimmings 
of the vain." — Dr. Goldsmith's "Vicar of Wakefield." — Tr. 



A MAJESTIC I'ltt-TBEE. 131 

it. Tliis immense tree springs from a seed similar to the 
seed of the ordinary fig-tree ; its wood is white and spongy, 
and in a few years it grows to an extraordinary size. Nature, 
who has had foresight in all things, and who allows the young 
lamb to leave its wool on the bushes for the timid bird to 
pick it up and build its nest with — Nature, I say, has shown 
herself in all her genius in the fig-tree of the Philippine 
islands, which grows so rapidly and so immensely. The branches 
of this tree generally spring from the base of the trunk ; they 
extend themselves horizontally, and, after forming an elbow or 
flurve, rise up perpendicularly ; but, as I said before, the tree 
IS spongy, and easily broken, and the branch, while forming 
the curve, would inevitably be broken, did not a ligament, 
which the Indians call a drop of water — goutte d'eau — fall from 
the tree and take root in the earth ; there it swells, and grows 
LQ proportion with the size of the branch, and acts to it as a 
living prop. Besides which, around the trunk, and at a 
'"onsiderable distance from the ground, are natural supports, 
which rise up in points or spirals to about the middle of the 
trunk. Has not the Grand Architect of the world foreseen 
everything? 

The appearance presented by the balete is very frequently 
indescribably picturesque ; and this is so true that, within a 
space of some hundred paces in diameter — which these gigantic 
■ftg-trees usually occupy — one may see by turns grottoes, halls, 
chambers, that are often furnished with natural seats, formed 
out of and by the roots themselves. No ! no vegetation is 
more diversified, nor more extraordinary ! This tree sometimes 
grows out of a rock, where there is not an inch of earth ; its 
long roots run along the rock, encompass it, and then plunge 
into the neighbouring brook. It is indeed a masterpiece of 



132 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

nature — a chef d'oetivre — which, however, is very ordinary in 
the virgin forests of the Philippine islands. 

" Here," said I to my lieutenant, " is a good spot for us 
to spend the night on." 

He recoiled some paces. 

" What !" said he ; " do you wish to stop here, master?" 

'' Certainly," replied I. 

" Oh ! but you don't see that we are in still more danger 
here than in the midst of the Igorrots !" 

" And why, then, are we in danger?" asked I. 

"Why? why? Do you not know that the Tic-balan 
dwells in the large baletes. If we stop here you may be very 
sure that I shan't sleep a moment, and that we shall be tor 
raented the whole night." 

I smiled, which my lieutenant perceiving : 

"Oh! master," said he, most dolefully, "what should we 
do with an evil spirit that fears neither bullet nor dagger ?" 

The terror of the poor Tagal was really too great for me to 
resist him, so I yielded, and we took up our quarters for the 
night at a place much less to my own taste, but much more to 
Alila's. The night passed away like many others — I mean, 
perfectly well, and we woke up to resume our journey through 
the forest. 

We had been walking about two hours, when, on leaving the 
•vood, and entering on a plain, we met an Igorrot, mounted 
upon a buffalo, face to face. The encounter was somewhat 
curious. I levelled my gun at the savage : my lieutenant took 
hold of the animal by the long leather strap, and I made a 
sign to the Igorrot not to stir: then — always in my mimic 
language — I asked if he were alone. I understood from him 
that he was accompanied by no fellow-traveller, and that he 



INTERVIEW WITH AN IQOKEOT. 133 

was going northwards, in the opposite direction to our own 
But Alila, who decidedly had a grudge against the savages, 
was most anxious to lodge a ball in this fellow's head. How 
ever, I strenuously opposed such a project, and ordered him to 
let go the bridle. 

" But, master," said he, " allow me at least to see what 
these jars contain." 

Around the neck of the Igorrot's buffalo were strung three 
or four jars, covered with leaves of the banana tree. 

My lieutenant, without even waiting for my answer, applied 
his nose to them, and discovered, to his infinite satisfaction, that 
they contained a deer or stag ragout, which sent forth a certain 
perfume ; so, still without consulting me, he undid the smallest 
of the jars, struck the buffalo a blow with the but-eud of his 
gun, and, letting go the animal at the same time, exclaimed : 

" Go, you rascal — go !" 

The Igorrot, finding himself free, fled as quick as the 
beast could carry him, and we re-entered the woods, taking 
care to avoid the openings, for fear of being surprised by too 
large a number of savages. 

Towards four o'clock we halted to take our repast. This 
wished-for moment was impatiently expected by my lieutenant, 
as the savage's jar sent forth a very savoury smell. At last 
the desired moment arrived : we sat down on the grass. I 
stuck my poignard into the jar, which Alila had brought up to 
the fire, and I withdrew — an entire human hand !* My poor 
lieutenant was as stupified as I was myself, so we remained a 
few minutes without saying a word. At last I gave a vigorous 

* The Igorrots, however, accordinof to the reports of the Tndiatis, are 
not anthropophagi ; perhaps the one in question had received these ragouts 
ftoxQ some other savages — the Guinans, for instance. 



134 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

kick to the jar, and smashed it in pieces, so that the human 
flesh it contained was scattered over the ground, while still I 
held the fatal hand on the point of my dagger. 

That hand horrified me ; yet I examined it most carefully, 
and it appeared to me to have been the hand of a child of an 
Ajetas, a species of savages that inhabit the mountains of 
Nueva-Exica and Maribeles, of which race I shall have an 
opportunity of speaking during the course of this work. 1 
took some strips of palm-tree, roasted in the burning embers ; 
Alila did the same, and we set out, not in the best of humours, 
in search of another resting-place for the night. 

Two hours after sun-rise we issued from the forest and 
entered upon the plain, From time to time — that is, from 
distance to distance — we met with rice-fields, cultivated after 
the Tagal manner, and then did my lieutenant exclaim most 
joyously to me : 

" Master, we are now in Christian ground." 

He was right ; the road was becoming more easy. We 
followed on a narrow pathway, and towards evening arrived in 
front of an Indian cabin, at the door of which a young girl was 
sitting, while abundant tears trickled down her sorrowful 
countenance. I drew near her, and inquired into the cause of 
her grief. On hearing my question she rose up, and without 
replying to my queries, conducted us into the interior of the 
habitation, where we beheld the inanimate body of an old 
woman, whom we learned was the mother of the young girl ; 
the brother of the latter had gone to the village in quest of the 
relations of the deceased, to aid them in transporting the 
corpse to its final destination. 

This scene affected me very much. I did my best to con- 
sole the poor young girl, and solicited hospitality for the night. 



^ NOCTURNAL ADVENTURE. 185 

which was instantly granted. To be in company with a dead 
body nowise affrighted me ; but I bethought of Alila, so super- 
stitious and so fearful with regard to ghosts and evil spirits. 

" Well," said I to him ; " are you not afraid to spend the 
night near a corpse ?" 

"No, master," replied he, courageously; "this dead per- 
son is a Christian soul, which, far from wishing us evil, will 
watch over us." 

1 was really astonished at the answer of the Tagaloc, at 
his calmness and security : the rogue had his own motives 
for thus speaking to me. The Indian huts in the plains, 
are never composed of more than one room ; the one we were 
in was scarcely large enough to hold us all four ; however, we 
one and all managed as well as we could. The deceased oc- 
cupied the back part ; a small lamp, placed by her head, 
threw out a feeble light, and beside her lay the young ludian 
girl. I had established my quarters at a short distance from 
the bed of death, and my lieutenant was nearest the door, left 
open purposely to dispel the heat and foul air. 

Towards two o'clock in the morning I was waked up by a 
shrill voice, and I felt at the same time that some one was 
passing over me, and uttering cries that soon were heard 
outside the cabin. I immediately stretched out my hand 
towards the place where Alila had lain down, but that place 
was empty ; the lamp was out, and the darkness complete. 

This made me very uneasy. I called to the young girl, 
who answered me that she had heard, like me, cries and noise, 
but she was ignorant of the cause. I snatched up my gun and 
sallied forth, calling out to my lieutenant ; but to no purpose. 
No one answered ; the stillness of death reigned all around 
I then set out, walking over the fields at hazard, calling out 



136 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

now and then Alila's name. I had not, perhaps, gone a 
hundred paces when I heard the following words, pronounced 
most timidly, proceeding from a tree by which I was passing : 

" I am here, master." 

It was Alila himself. I drew nigh, and saw my lieutenant 
ensconced behind the trunk of the tree, and trembling like one 
of its leaves. 

"What then has happened to you?" I inquired; "and 
what are you doing there ?" 

"Oh! master," said he to me; "pray forgive me! Bad 
thoughts got the better of me ; it was the young Indian girl 
inspired, me with them, and the demon blew them into my 
inner man. I — I — I — drew nigh, during the night, to the 
young girl's resting-place, and when I saw you fast asleep — I 
put out the lamp." 

" Well, and then — " said I, most impatiently and angrily. 

"And then — I wished to take a kiss from the young girl; 
but, at the very moment I drew nigh, the old dead woman took 
her daughter's place, so I only met with a cold and icy face, 
and at the same moment two long arms stretched out to seize 
upon me. Oh ! it was then I gave such a cry — and I fled ! 
fled ! fled ! but the old woman pursued me — yes, the corpse 
tracked me behind; and she has only just now disappeared, on 
hearing the sound of your voice. I then hid behind this tree, 
where you now see me, in a piteous plight." 

The fright of the Tagal and his mistake made me almost 
laugh out ; but I severely reprimanded him for the bad inten- 
tion he had of abusing the hospitality that had been so gra- 
ciously afforded us : he repented, and begged of me to excuse 
him. He was, I should think, sufficiently punished by his 
fright. I wished to take him back to the cabin with me ; but ' 



PROBABLE OEIGIN OF THE TINGUIAKS. 137 

for no consideration would he return. I therefore left my gun 
in his charge, and went back to the house of mourning, where 
I found the poor young girl just as frightened as he was. I 
soon made her acquainted with the adventure ; so thanking 
her for her kind hospitality, and morning coming on, I re- 
turned to Alila, who was most impatiently expecting me. 

The hope of seeing soon again our relations, our homes, 
our friends, gave us new courage, and before sunset we arrived 
at an Indian, village, without anything remarkable having taken 
place : this was to be our last stage * 

* It would be difficult to establish from what nations the divers species 
of men who inhabit the interior of Luzon originally came. The Tingui- 
ans, from their fine shape, their colour, their eyes, their almost aquiline 
nose, the value they set upon china vases, their music, and finally from 
their habits, would appear to be the descendants of the Japanese. It is 
most likely that at a very distant period some junks from the Japan 
coasts, hurried along by stronn- northern winds, may have been wrecked 
upon the Luzon shores, and that their crews, seeing no possibility of 
returning to their native country, as well as to avoid the Malayan popu- 
lation that was in possession of the beaches, — it is possible, I say, that the 
shipwrecked persons withdrew into the interior of the mountains, the diffi- 
culty of access to which protected them from all invasion. 

The Japanese sailors, who are merely coasters, sail about with their 
wives, as I had an opportunity of witnessing on board many junks, 
whither I went through mere curiosity. Those same junks, beaten by 
the tempest, had steered for shelter to the eastern coast of Luzon, where 
they anchored for four months, waiting for the return of the monsoon ; 
and had they not met with a protecting government, their crews would 
have been compelled to fly into the mountains, as I suppose the Tinguians 
had been obliged to do. The latter having some women with them, must 
have procured others from among the neighbouring population, and as they 
inhabit the finest and healthiest country in the world, their number must 
have considerably increased. They are now spread over sixteen villages : 
Palan, Jalamey, Mabuantoc, Dalayap, Lanquiden, Baac, Padanquitan y 
Pangal, Campasan y Danglas, Lagayan, Ganagan, Malaylay, Bucay, Gad- 
dani, Laganguilan y Madalag, Manab, Palog y Amay. 

The Igorrots, whom I had less opportunities of studying, seem to be 
the descendants of the remains of the grand naval army of the Chinese 



]38 



TWENTT YEA^RS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 




Inhabitants ot Boulacan 



After this long and interesting journey I arrived at Quingua, 
a village in the province of Boulacan, where I had left my 
friend in convalescence. 

Liraa-On, who, after attacking Manilla, on the 30th November, 1574, had 
taken refuge in the province of Pangasinan, in the gulf of Lingayan, 
where he was a second time defeated, and his fleet completely destroyed. 
A part of the crew escaped into the mountains of Pangasinan, where the 
Spaniards could not pursue them. 

The Igorrot has long hair, eyes a la Chinoise, a flat nose, thick lips, 
higli cheek bones, broad shoulders, strong and nervous limbs, and bronze 
colour ; he greatly resembles the Chinese of the southern provinces of the 
Celestial Empire. 

I could obtain no information as to extraction concerning the G-uinans, 
another people of savages, ferocious and cruel, who live in the neighbour- 
hood of the Tingiiians. 

I keep back for a future period a description of the Ajetas, or Negritoa, 
the aborigines of Luzon. 




Manilla Fishing Raft. 



CHAPTEE VII. 

I return to Jala- Jala — An Excursion on the Lake — Eelempago's Narrative — Re- 
organisation of my Government — A Letter from my Brother Henry — His 
Arrival — He joins me in the Management of my Plantations — Cajoui, the 
Bandit : Anten-Anten — Indian Superstition — A Combat with the Bandit — 
His Death — A Piratical Descent — My Lieutenant is Wounded — I extract 
the Ball, and cure him. 



T\/rY prolonged absence from home caused great uneasiness. 
•'-'-'- Very fortunately my wife remained at Manilla, and was 
totally ignorant of the journey I had recently undertaken. 

My patient had not exactly followed the prescribed regimen, 
so that his distemper had increased, and he was impatiently 



140 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

expecting to return and die, he said, in his house : his wishes 
were complied with. A few days after my arrival we set out 
and arrived the next day at Manilla, where my poor friend 
rendered his last sigh in the middle of his family. This event 
damped, of course, the pleasure I should have enjoyed in be- 
holding my wife once more. 

A few days after the demise of our friend we embarked, and 
set sail for Jala-Jala. 

We glided most agreeably upon the lake until we left the 
strait of Quinanbutasan, but, once there, we met with so vio- 
lent an east wind, and the water of the lake was so ruffled, that 
we were obliged to re-enter the strait, and cast anchor near 
the cabin of the old fisherman, Relempago, whom I have 
already noticed. 

Our sailors landed to prepare their supper ; as for ourselves, 
we remained in our boat, where we stretched ourselves at our 
ease, the old fisherman, as he sat doubled up in the Indian 
fashion, amusing us in the best way he could by the narration 
of brigand stories. 

I interrupted him all on a sudden, saying to him : 

" Relemjjago, I should prefer hearing the history of your 
own personal adventures ; do, therefore, relate your misfortunes 
to us." 

The old fisherman heaved a sigh, and then, unwilling to 
disoblige me, began his story in the poetical terms so familiar 
to the Tagal tongue, and which it is almost impossible to re- 
produce by a translation : 

" Lagune is not my native place," said he ; "I was born in 
the island of Zebou, and was at the age of twenty what is 
called a fine young man ; but, pray believe me, I was by no 
means proud of my physical advantages, and I preferred being 



RELEMPAGO'S NABRATIVE. 141 

the first fisherman of my village. Nevertheless, my comrades 
were jealous of me, and all that because the young girls would 
look at me "with a certain complaisant air, and seemed to find 
me to their liking." 

I could not but smile at this frank avowal of the old man, 
which he perceiving, continued : 

" I tell you these things, sir," replied he, " because at my 
age one can speak of them without fearing to appear ridicu- 
lous — it is so long ago. And besides, allow me to inform you 
that I relate to you such things, not from vanity — Oh, no ! but 
merely to furnish you with an exact recital. Besides, the sly 
and roguish looks that young girls threw at me, as I passed 
through the village, flattered me in no manner. I was in love 
with Theresa, sir ; yes, I was passionately in love with her, 
and my love was returned, for fondly did she love me ; a look 
from any other but from her was totally indifferent to me. Ah ! 
Theresa was the prettiest lass in the village ! but, poor soul ! 
she has done like myself — she has greatly altered ; for years are 
an enormous weight, which bends and breaks you down in spite 
of yourself, and against which there is no way of struggling. 

" When, seated as I am at present, I bethink me of the 
fine by-gone days of my youth — of the strength, the courage, 
that we used to find in our mutual affection — Oh ! I shed 
tears of regret and sensibility. Where are now those fine — 
those happy days ? Gone, gone, gone ! they have fled before 
the piercing and terrible winds that forerun the storms and 
the hurricanes. Like the day, life has its dawn ; like the day, 
also, it has its decline I" 

Here the poor old fisherman made a pause, and I was 
loth to interrupt him in his meditation. There then ensued 
a profound silence, that lasted several minutes. Suddenly Re- 



142 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

lempago seemed to start from a dream, and passing his hand 
over his forehead, looked at us for some time, as if to excuse 
himself for those few moments of mental absence, and then he 
continued as follows : 

" We had been brought up together," said he, " and had 
been affianced as soon as we had grown up. Theresa would 
have died rather than belong to any other, and, as I shall here 
after prove it, I would have accepted any condition, even the 
most unfavourable one rather, than abandon the friend of my 
heart. Alas ! it is almost always with our teai's that we trace 
our painful way through life. Theresa's relations were opposed 
to our union; they even put forward vain and frivolous pre- 
texts ; and whatever efforts I made to bring them to decide 
upon bestowing her affianced hand on me, I never could succeed. 
And yet they well knew that, like the palm tree, we could 
not live without each other, and we were to be separated, 
it would be condemning us to die. But our tears, our prayers, 
our griefs, were only heard by senseless people, and we were 
labouring under the most poignant grief, while no one would 
understand or sympathise with our sorrow. I was beginning 
to lose all courage, when one morning there came into my 
mind the pious thought of offering to the Infant Jesus, in the 
church of Zebou, the first pearl I should fish up. I therefore 
repaired earlier than usual to the sea-shore, implored the 
Almighty to grant me his protection, and to have me married 
to my beloved Theresa. The sun was just beginning to dart 
his burning rays upon the earth, and was gilding the surface 
of the waters. Nature was awaking from her transitory sleep, 
and every living being or object was singing in its language 
a hymn to the Creator. 

" With a beating heart I began diving to the bottom of the 



RELEMPAGO's NARRATIVE. 143 

sea, in search, of the pearl which I so ardently wished for, but 
my searches and struggles were completely fruitless at first. 
Had anyone been near me at that moment he would have 
easily read my disappointment in my face. Nevertheless, my 
courage failed me not. I began again, but with no better 
success. ' Oh, Lord !' cried I, ' thou hearest not then my prayers, 
my supplications ! Thou wilt not then accept for thy beloved 
son the offering that I destine for him.'* For the sixth time 
T plunged, and brought up from the bottom of the sea two 
enormous oysters. Oh ! how my heart leaped with joy ! I 
opened one of them, and found it contained a pearl so large 
that never in my life had I seen one like it. My joy was so 
great that I set-to dancing in my pirogue, as if I had lost my 
reason. The Lord, then, did vouchsafe to protect me, since He 
enabled me to accomplish my vow. With a joyful heart 1 
retraced my steps to my dwelling, and, not wishing to fail in 
my word, I took my magnificent pearl to the curate of Zebou. 

" The reverend father," continued the old fisherman, " was 
delighted mth my present. That pearl was worth 5,000 piasters 
(or 25,000 francs, i. e., dBl,000 English money), and you must 
have admired it — you, as well as all other persons who attend 
the church — for the Infant Jesus always holds it in his hand. 
The curate thanked and congratulated me on my very good idea. 

" ' Go home in peace, brother,' said he to me ; ' go home in 
peace. Heaven will not forget thy meritorious action — yea, 
the disinterestedness of thy good work, and sooner or later 
thy desires will be hearkened to.' 

* According to Indian tradition, and to Spanish tradition likewise, the 
Infant Jesus of Zebou existed before the discovery of the Philippines. After 
the conquest the Infant was found upon the sea-shore ; the Spanish con 
qaerors deposited it in the cathedral, .where it performed great miracles. 



144 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES 

" 1 left the holy man with my heart joyful indeed, and I 
hastened to inform Theresa of the pastor's consoling words • 
we rejoiced like two children together. Ah ! true indeed it is 
to say that youth has been endowed by the Almighty with 
every privilege, particularly with that of hope. At the age of 
twenty if the heart think that it may live in hope, away with 
all cares immediately ; and, as the morning breeze sips up the 
drops of moisture that have been left by the storm in the 
chalice of flowers, so does hope dry up the tears that moisten 
the eyes of the young, and drive away the sighs that inflate 
and oppress the breast. So sure were we that our tribulations 
would ere long be oyer, that we no longer thought of our by 
gone sorrow ! In the spring-time of life grief leaves no more 
trace after it than the nimble foot of the wily Indian on the 
strand, when the sea-wind has blown over it. 

" The inhabitants of the village, seeing us so joyful, so 
purely happy, were envious of our lot, and Theresa's relations 
could no longer find any pretext for opposing our being united. 
We were now in full sight of connubial bliss ; our boat of life 
was gently rocked by a very mild wind ; we were singing the 
return-home hymn, not supposing, alas ! that we were going to 
he dashed against a breaker ! Our young Indians foresee 
not in the morning the storm that is to assail them in the 
evening. The buffalo cannot avoid the lasso, and most often, in 
order to avoid it, he anticipates the danger. I roved about, I 
may jay heedlessly thoughtless of the precipice before my feet. 
Misfortune marked me for her own when I least expected it. 

" One evening, on my return from fishing, at the moment 
when I was repairing to Theresa's, there to repose myself after 
my fatigues of the day, I saw one of my neighbours advancing 
towards me. That man had always shown me the greatest 



RELEMPAGO'S NARRATIVE. 146 

affection, so that on seeing him thus advance, my limbs began 
to tremble, and the pulsations of my heart gradually ceased. 
His face was pale, and entirely altered. His haggard eyes 
tnrew forth flashes of terror, and his voice was trembling and 
agitated. 

" ' Los Moros^ have made a descent upon the coast,' said 
he to me. 

" ' Good Heavens !' exclaimed I, covering my face with my 
hands. 

" ' They surprised some persons of the village, and carried 
them off prisoners.' 

" ' And Theresa V exclaimed I. 
" ' Carried off with the others,' he replied. 
" I heard no more of this revelation, and for some minutes 
— ^like the warrior pierced to the heart by a poisoned arrow — 
I was completely deprived of all consciousness. 

" When I came back to myself tears flooded my face, and 
brought me some relief: but suddenly I resumed my courage, 
and felt that no time was to be lost. I ran to the shore where I 
had left my pirogue, which I unfastened, and, as quickly as oars 
could pull me, I pursued the Malays, not in the hope of 
wresting Theresa from them, but resolved upon partaking of 
her captivity and misfortune. We better endure the suffer- 
ings we have to undergo when we are two together than when 
we are alone. He who had brought me the fatal tidings saw 
me start, and thought I had lost my senses ; the fact is, 
ray countenance bore all the traces of mental alienation. 
Methought I was inspired by the grand master-spirit ; my 
pirogue bounded along the troubled waters of the ocean as it 
it possessed wings. One would have said that I had twenty 
* The Malays. 



146 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

rowers at my disposal, and I cleft the waves with the same 
rapidity as the halcyon's flight, when wafted away by the 
hurricane. After a short time's laborious and painful rowing 
I at last came in view of the corsairs who were carrying away 
my treasure. At the sight my strength was renewed again, 
and I was soon up with them. When I was side by side with 
them I informed them, in words the most feeling, and which 
sprang from my poor lacerated heart, that Thei-esa was my 
wife, and that I would prefer being a slave with her to aban- 
doning her. The pirates listened to my voice, stifled by my 
tears, and took me on board, not from commiseration, but from 
cruelty. In fact, I was a slave more added to their numbers : 
why should they have repulsed me ? A few days after that 
fatal evening we arrived at Jolo. There the division of the 
slaves was made, and the master into whose hands we fell 
took us away with him. Was it, then, to undergo a like 
destiny that I had dived so early in the morning for a pearl 
for the Infant Jesus of Zebou ? Yes, was it for this that 
I had made a vow to bring him the first pearl I should find ? 
Notwithstanding my profound sorrow I murmured not, neither 
did I regret my offering. The Lord was the master ! His 
will should be done." 

Here Relempago paused, and looked towards Heaven 
with a smile of angelic resignation, and we then remarked 
upon his face the furrows traced by the deep sorrows of his 
life. The wind was still blowing with violence, and our boat 
was dancing on the waves; our sailors had finished their 
repast, and, in order to listen to the fisherman's tale of woe, 
had taken up their place by his side. Their features wore 
an expression of the most innocent attention ; so, having made 
a sign to the narrator, he resumed his story as follows : — 



KBLEMPAGO'S NARRATIVE 147 

'Our captivity lasted two years, during whicli time we 
had to endure very great sufferings. Very often would my 
master take me away with him to a lake in the interior of the 
island, and these absences lasted for whole months together, 
during which time I was perforce separated from my Theresa, 
my dear wife ; for, not having been able to get united by a 
clergyman, we had joined ourselves, under the all-benevolent 
and protecting eye of the Almighty ! On my return, I used to 
find my poor companion still the same good, faithful, devoted, 
and affectionate friend, whose courage sustained my own. 

" One circumstance decided me upon taking an audacious 
resolution. Theresa was in an interesting situation ! Oh ! what 
would not my joy have been had I been at Zi^bou, in the midst 
of our family and of our friends ! What happiness should I 
not have felt at the idea of being a father ! Alas ! in slavery, 
that very same thought froze my blood with terror, and I 
firmly resolved upon snatching both mother and child from 
the tortures of captivity. In one of our excursions I had 
been wounded in the leg, and this wound came greatly to my 
aid. One day my master set out for the borders of the 
grand lake, and, knowing I had a bad leg, left me at Jolo. T 
availed myself of this opportunity to put into execution a 
project tha,t I had formed for a long time, that of flying 
with Theresa. The task was a daring one, but the desire of 
freedom doubles one's strength and increases one's courage, 
so I did not hesitate for a moment. When night had lowered, 
my dear Theresa took a road I had pointed out to her , I 
went by another one, and we both arrived at the sea-shore at 
a short distance from each other. There we jumped into a 
pirogue, and threw ourselves upon the protection of Divine 



mercy 



148 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

" We rowed vigorously the whole night, and never in my 
life shall I forget that mysterious flight. The wind blew rather 
violently, the night was dark, and the stars insensibly lost 
their vivid brightJiess. Every moment we thought we heard 
behind us the noise of our pursuers, and our hearts beat so 
loud and so violently that they could be heard in the midst 
of the silence that reigned around all nature. 

" Day at last appeared : we descried by degrees, in the 
mist of the morning, the rocks that lined the shore, and we 
could see far enough in the distance that no one was pursuing 
us. Then were our hearts filled with cheering hope, and we 
continued rowing towards the north, in order to land on some 
Christian isle. 

" I had taken with me some cocoa-nuts, but they were a very 
small resource, and we had been at sea three whole days 
without eating anything, when, exhausted by fatigue and want, 
we fell upon our knees and invoked the pity, compassion, and 
succour of the Infant Jesus of Zebou. Our prayer over, we 
felt our strength completely exhausted ; the oars fell from our 
hands, and we lay down in the bottom of the pirogue, decided 
upon dying in each other's arms. 

" Our weakness gradually increased, and finally we swooned 
away, the pirogue all the while dashing heedlessly on with the 
waves 

'• When wo recovered from our fainting fit — I know not 
how long it lasted — we found ourselves surrounded by Chris- 
tians, who, having perceived us in our light skiff, had come to 
our aid, conveyed us to their hospitable dwelling, and took the 
most pious care of us. We had not long been disembarked 
when Theresa was taken with the pains of labour, and was 
confined of a very diminutive, .sickly child. I went down on 



BELEMPAGO'S NARRATIVE. 149 

my knees before the innocent little creature that had so 
miraculously escaped from slavery, and prayed for it — it -was 
a boy ! " 

Here the poor old fisherman heaved a heavy sigh, while 
tears were fast falling upon his shrunken hands. 

We one and all respected this painful recollection of the 
poor old man. 

" Our convalescence was very long indeed," said Relem- 
pago ; " at last our health was sufficiently restored to permit 
of us leaving the isle of Negros, where the Infant Jesus had 
so miraculously caused us to land, and we came to settle here, 
on the side of this large lake, which, being situated in the 
interior of the isle of Lu9on, afforded me the means of pur- 
suing my avocation of fisherman without in any way fearing 
the Malays, who might very easily have captured us again at 
Zebou. 

" My first care — yes, the dearest act of my life — on arriving, 
was to have our marriage celebrated in the church of Moron. 
I had promised it to God, and I would not fail in the promise 
I had made Him who reads all hearts. After that I built 
the little cottage you see hard-by, and my existence glided on 
most peacefully. The fishing trade went on prosperously. I 
was still a young man, active and intelligent, and sold my fish 
very easily to the vessels passing through the strait. My son 
had by this time become a fine young man." 

" Of course he resembled his father," said I, recollecting 
the beginning of the old man's tale, but my remark could not 
excite a smile upon his countenance. 

" Oh ! the lad was a good fisherman," continued he, " and 
happily did we all three live together, till a dreadful mis 
fortune befell us. The Infant Jesus had no doubt forsaken 



150 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

US, or perhaps the Almighty was displeased with us ; but I 
am far from murmuring. He has visited us most severely, 
since He has overwhelmed us with grief of such a strong 
nature, that it must accompany us to our last resting-place ! " 

And here the poor old man's tears trickled down his weather- 
beaten cheeks once more, in abundance, in bitterness, and in 
sorrow. 

Ah ! how right was the Italian poet, when he said :— 

" Nought lasteth here below but tears ! " 

The voice of Kelempago was stifled by his sobbing ; how- 
ever, he made one more effort, and continued thus : 

" One night — a fine moonlight night — we set our nets in a 
certain part of the strait, and as we felt some difficulty in drawing 
them up, the lad plunged into the water to ascertain what 
obstacle we had to contend with, and to set all to rights. I 
was in my pirogue, leaning over the side, waiting for his 
return, when all of a sudden I thought I saw, through the 
silvery beams of the lamp of night, a large spot of blood 
spreading itself over the surface of the water. Fear took 
possession of me, and I quickly hauled up my nets. My hap- 
less child had seized upon and become entangled in them— 
but, alas ! when he came to the surface he was a corpse ! " 

" What ! your son ? " cried I. 

"My poor dear Jose-Maria," said he, "had his head 
bitten off by a cayman that had got entangled in our nets. 
Ever since that night— that fatal night ! — Theresa and I offer 
up our prayers to the Omnipotent, imploring Him to take 
us to himself ; for, alas ! nothing now has any charms for us 
here below. The first of us that will depart for that bourn 
from whence no traveller returns will be interred by the 



BE-0RGANI8ATI0N OF MY OOVEENMENT. 151 

survivor beside our beloved child — there, under that little 
hillock yonder, which is surmounted by a wooden cross, in front 
of my humble cottage ; and the last of us two to leave this 
valley of tears will no doubt meet with some charitable Christian 
hand, to place our mortal remains beside the bodies of those 
we loved so tenderly during our hapless pilgrimage here 
below." 

Here Eelempago ceased his painful history, and, that he 
might give a free course to his grief and tears, he rose up, 
and bowed us his adieu, which we returned to him with hearts 
oppressed with sympathetic sorrow. 

The wind had ceased blowing, and the attentive sailors 
were awaiting our orders, so that in a few moments afterwards 
we were sailing towards Jala-Jala, where we landed before 
sunset. 

On the morrow of my arrival I entered on the business of 
my little government, to which my absence had been far from 
useful or favourable, so that I was obliged to suppress many 
abuses that had crept into it while I had been away. Some 
slight corrections, joined to an active and incessant surveillance, 
or inspection, soon established once more the most perfect 
order and discipline ; so that, from that moment, I was at 
liberty to devote all my time and attention to the cultivation 
of my lands. 

We were now at the beginning of the winter — the rainy 
and windy season. No stranger had dared crossing the lake, 
to come and visit us, so that, alone with my dear wife, our days 
glided most happily and tranquilly away, for we knew not 
what ennui was or meant : our mutual affection was so great 
that our own presence was sufficient company for each other. 

This delightful solitude was soon interrupted by a fortunate 



152 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

and unforeseen event. A letter from Manilla— a very rare 
circumstance at Jala-Jala — reached me, informing me that my 
eldest brother, Henry, had just arrived there ', that he had put 
up at my brother-in-law's ; and that he was expecting me with 
all imaginable impatience. I was not aware that he had left 
France to come and see me, so that such news, and his sudden, 
as well as unexpected, arrival, surprised and overjoyed me. 

I was once more to see one of my dearest relations — a 
brother whom I had always tenderly loved. Ah ! he who has 
never quitted his home, his family, aad his early attachments, will 
with difl&culty understand the emotions I experienced on receiv- 
ing this agreeable letter. When the first transports of my joy 
were somewhat allayed, I resolved to set out at once for 
Manilla. Preparations for my departure were speedily made. 
I chose my lightest canoe, and my two strongest Indians, and 
a few minutes after, having embraced my beloved Anna, I was 
scudding over the waters of the lake, slowly — too slowly for my 
impatience, as I wished to be able to give wings to my fragile 
- skiff, and to traverse the distance tliat separated me from my 
brother as rapidly as my thoughts: no journey ever appeared to 
me so long, and nevertheless my two robust rowers exerted 
all their strength to favour my wishes. At length I arrived, 
and immediately hastened to my brother-in-law's, and there I 
threw myself into Henry's arms. Our emotions were such 
that for some time we could not speak ; the abundant 
tears we shed alone showed the joy of our hearts. When the 
first transport was over, I asked 'him questions beyond number. 
Not one member of my family was forgotten ; the smallest 
details concerning these beloved beings were to me of the 
greatest interest. We passed the remainder of the day and 
the following night in incessant and interesting conversation. 



MY BROTHEE JOINS ME. 153 

The next day we started for Jala-Jala. Henry was eager to 
become acquainted with his sister-in law, and I to make the 
dear companion of my life a sharer in my happiness. Excel- 
lent Anna ! my joy was joy for you — my happiness was your 
delight ! You received Henry as a brother, and this sisterly 
attachment was always, on your part, as sincere as your affec- 
tion for me had ever been. 

After a few days spent in the most agreeable conversation 
about France, and about all those beloved friends who remained 
there, feelings of sadness that I could with difficulty repress 
became intermingled with my joy. I thought of our numerous 
family, so far distant, and so scattered over the globe. My 
youngest brother was, to my great regret, dead at Madagascar. 
My second brother, Robert, resided at Porto-Rico ; and my 
two brothers-in-law, both captains of vessels, engaged in long 
voyages, were gone to the Indies. My poor mother and my 
poor sisters were alone, without protectors, without support : 
what sad moments of fear and anxiety you must have spent in 
your solitude ! Ah ! how I should have rejoiced to have you 
near me ; but, alas ! a whole world separated us, and the hope 
of seeing you again one day could alone scatter the clouds that 
darkened occasionally the happy days adorned by the presence 
of my brother. 

After some time of rest, Henry asked to join me in my 
labours. I then made him acquainted with my mode of 
cultivation, and he took upon himself the management of the 
plantations and of their products. I reserved to myself the 
regulation of my Indians, the charge of the flocks, and that of 
putting down the bandits. 

I had frequent quarrels, and even incessant conflicts, with 
these turbulent Indians ; but I never boasted of these petty 



154 TWENTY TEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES, 

engagements, in which I was often obliged to take a most active 
part. On the contrary, I recommended strict silence to my 
attendants, for I did not wish to cause anxiety to my excellent 
Anna, nor to give my brother the desire of accompanying 
me. I did not like to expose him to the dangers I ran 
myself, as I had not equal hopes of safety for him. I 
relied upon my star, and really, to a certain degree, all 
modesty aside, I think that the bandits' balls respected me. 
When I was engaged in contests in the plain, or in some of 
the skirmishes, the danger was not great ; but it was quite a 
dilferent thing when it was necessary to fight hand to hand, 
which happened more than once ; and I cannot forbear the 
pleasure of relating one of those circumstances that made me 
say just now the bandits' balls respected vie. 

One day 1 was alone with my lieutenant, having both of us 
only our daggers, and we were coming back to our habitation, 
and passing through a thick forest, situated at the end of the 
lake. Alila said to me: "Master, this neighbourhood is 
much frequented by Cajoui." Cajoui was known as the chief 
of a most daring gang of brigands. Among his numerous 
atrocities he had amused himself, on that very day, by drown- 
ing twenty of his fellow-countrymen. I then determined to 
free the country of the odious assassin, and the advice of my 
lieutenant induced me to take a narrow path, that led us to a 
hut concealed in the midst of the woods. I told Alila to 
remain below, and to watch, while I went to endeavour to recon- 
noitre the persons who inhabited it. I went up by the small 
ladder that leads to the interior of the Tagalese huts ; a young 
Indian woman was there, quite alone, and very busy plaiting a 
mat. I asked her for some fire to light my cigar, and returned 
to my lieutenant. Having accidentally cast my eyes upon the 



CAJOUI, THE BANDIT ^ANTEN-ANTEN. 165 

exterior of the hut, it appeared much larger than it did inside. 
I ran up again quickly, and looked all round the place in which 
the young girl was, and observed at the extremity of it a 
small door, covered over by a mat. I gave it a strong push, and 
at the moment, Cajoui, who, with his carbine on cock, was wait- 
ing for me behind the door, fired straight at me. The fire 
and the smoke blinded me, and by a most inconceivable chance 
the ball slightly grazed my clothes without wounding me. 
Alila, knowing I had no fire-arms, hearing the report, thought 
I was killed. He ran up to the top of the steps, and found me 
enveloped in a cloud of smoke, with my dagger in my hand, 
trying to find my enemy, who seeing me still standing erect, 
after he had shot at me, thought, no doubt, I had about me 
some anten-anten — a certain diabolic incantation that, accord- 
ing to the Indian belief, makes a man invulnerable to all sorts 
of fire-arms. The bandit was frightened, jumped out of a 
window, and ran away as fast as he could across the forest. 

Alila could not believe what had happened to me ; he felt 
all over my body, in order to convince himself that the ball had 
not passed through me. When he was quite sure that I had 
not received a wound, he said to me . 

Master, if you had not had the anten-anten about you 
you would have been killed." 

My Indians always believed I was possessed of this secret, 
as well as of many others. For instance, when they often saw 
me go for twenty-four, even for thirty-six hours, without eating 
or drinking, they became persuaded that I could live in that 
manner for an indefinite period ; and one day, a good Tagalese 
padre, in whose house I chanced to be, almost went upon his 
knees while begging me to communicate to him the power I pos- 
Bessed, as he said, to live without food. 



156 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES, 

The Tagals have retained all their old superstitions. How- 
ever, thanks to the Spaniards, they are all Christians ; but they 
understand that religion nearly in the way that children do. 
They believe that to attend on Sundays and festival days at the 
Divine offices, and to go to confession and to communion once 
a year, is sufficient for the remission of all their sins. A 
little anecdote that occurred to me will show how far they 
understand evangelical charity. 

One day two young Indians stole some poultry from one of 
their neighbours, and they came to sell them to fay major- 
domo for about sixpence. I had them called before me, to 
administer a lecture, and to punish them With the utmost 
simplicity they made me this answer : 

" It is true, master, we have done wrong, but we could not 
do otherwise ; we are to go to communion to-morrow, and we 
had not money enough to get a cup of chocolate." 

It is a custom with them to take a cup of chocolate after 
communion, and it was considered by them a greater sin to 
miss taking that than to commit the trifling theft of which 
they were guilty. 

Two evil-doing demons play an important part among 
them, and in which all believed before the conquest of the 
Philippine islands. One of those malevolent demons is the 
Tic-balan which I have already mentioned, who dwells in 
the forests, in the interior of the large fig-trees. This demon 
can do every possible harm to anyone who da,res not to respect 
him, or who does not carry certain herbs about his person , 
every time an Indian passes under one of these fig-trees he 
makes a movement towards it with his hand, saying : " Tavit-po,' 
Tagal words, signifying : " Lord ! with your permission !" The 
lord of the place is the Tic-balan. 



INDIAN SUPERSTITION. 157 

The other demon is called Azuan. She presides especially 
over parturitions in an evil manner, and an Indian is often 
seen, when his wife is in labour, perched upon the roof of his 
hut, with a sabre in his hand, thrusting the point into the air, 
and striking on all sides with the edge, to drive away, as he 
says, the Azuan, Sometimes he continues this mancEuvring 
for hours, until the labour is over. One of their beliefs — and 
one that Europeans might envy — is, that when a child that has 
not reached the age of reason dies, it is happy for all the family, 
since it is an angel that has gone to heaven, to be the pro- 
tector of all its relations. The day of the interment is a grand 
f^te-day ; relations and friends are invited ; they drink, they 
dance, and they sing all night in the hut where the child died. 
But I perceive that the superstitions of the Indians are draw- 
ing me from my subject. I shall have occasion, further on, to 
describe the manners and customs of these singular people. 

I now resume my statement, at the moment when my lieu 
tenant tried to assure me that I had some anten-anten, and that 
consequently I could not be wounded by a shot fired at me. 

He then addressed the young girl, who had remained in 
the comer, more dead than alive. 

" Ah ! cursed creature 1" said he to her ; " you are Cajoui's 
mistress : now your turn is come !" 

At this moment he advanced towards her with his dagger 
in his hand. I ran between him and the poor girl, for I knew 
he was capable of killing anyone, particularly after I had been 
attacked in a manner that had placed me in danger. 

" Wretch !" said I to him, " what are you going to do ?" 

" No great things, master ; only to cut off the hair and 
ears of this vile woman, and then send her to tell Cajoui that 
we shall soon catch him !" 



158 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

It cost me much trouble to prevent him from executing his 
plan. I was obliged to use all my authority, and to allow him 
to burn the cabin, after the terrified young girl, thanks to my 
protection, had fled into the forest. 

My lieutenant was right in sending word to Cajoui that 
we should catch him. Some months after, and several leagues 
from the place where we had set fire to his cabin, one day, 
when three men of my guard accompanied me, we discovered, 
in the thickest part of the wood, a small hut. My Indians 
rushed forward in quick time to surround it; but almost all 
round it there was found a morass, covered over with sedges 
and bushes, when all three sunk in the mud, up to theii middle. 
As I did not run as fast as they did I perceived the danger, 
and went round the marsh, so as to reach the cabin by the 
only accessible way. Suddenly I found myself face to face 
with Cajoui, and near enough almost to touch him. I had my 
dagger in my hand : he also had his — the struggle began. For 
a few seconds we aimed many strokes at each other, which 
each of us tried to avoid as well as he could. I think, how- 
ever, that fortune was turning against me; the point of Cajoui 's 
poignard had already entered rather deeply into my right arm, 
when with my left hand I took from my belt a large-sized 
pistol. I discharged it full at his breast : the ball and the 
wadding went through his body. For a few seconds Cajoui 
endeavoured still to defend himself; I struck him with all my 
force, and he fell at my feet ; I then wrested from him his dagger, 
which I still retain. My people came out of the mud-hole and 
joined me. Compassion soon replaced the animosity we bore 
against Cajoui. We made a sort of litter; I bandaged his 
wound, and we carried him more than six leagues in this 
manner to my habitation, where he received all the care his state 



DEATH OF THE BANDIT. 159 

required. Every moment I expected him to die; every quarter 
of an hour my people came to tell me how he was ; and they 
kept saying to me : 

"Master, he cannot die, because he has the anten-anten 
upon him ; and it is very lucky that you have some of it too, 
and that you fired at him, for our arms would have been of no 
avail against him." 

I laughed at their simplicity, and expected from one minute 
to another to hear that the wounded man had breathed his 
last, when my lieutenant brought me, quite joyously, a small 
manuscript, about two inches square, saying to me : 

" Here, master, is the anten-anten I found upon Cajoni's 
body." 

At the same time one of my men announced his death 

" Ah !" said Alila, " if I had not taken the anten-anten from 
him he would be still alive." 

I searched the small book through and through ; prayers 
and invocations that had not much sense were therein written 
in the Tagalese language. A good friar who was present took 
it out of my hands. I imagined that he had the same curiosity 
as I had, but by no means ; he rose up and went into the 
kitchen, and in a short time after came out and told me that 
he had made an auto-da-fe of it. My poor lieutenant almost 
cried with vexation, for he considered the little book to be his 
property, and thought that in possession of it he would be 
invulnerable. I should also have wished to have kept it, as a 
curious specimen of Indian superstition. The next day I had 
much trouble to persuade my stout friend, Father Miguel, to bury 
Cajoui in the cemetery. He maintained that a man who died 
with the anten-anten upon him ought not to receive Christian 
burial. To make him accede to my wishes it was necessary to 



160 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

tell him that the anten-anten had been taken from Cajoui before 
his death, and that he had time to repent. 

A few days after Cajoui's death it was my faithful Alila's 
turn to encounter danger, not less imminent than that to which 
I had been exposed, at the time of my combat with the bandit 
chief. But Alila was brave, and, although he had no anten 
amen, fire-arms did not frighten him. 

Large vessels — real Noah's arks — freighted by various 
merchants, sailed every week from the town of Pasig for that 
Df Santa-Cruz, where every Thursday a large market was held. 
Eight daring and determined brigands went on board one of 
these vessels : they hid their arms among the bales of goods. 
The ship was scarcely out at sea when they seized them, and 
a horrible scene of slaughter ensued. All who endeavoured to 
resist them were butchered, even the pilot was thrown over- 
board ; at length, finding no more resistance, they plundered 
the passengers of the money they had upon them, took every 
article of value they could find, and, loaded with their booty, 
they steered the vessel to a deserted spot on the shore, where 
they landed. 

I had been informed of this nefarious enterprise, and 
went with haste to the spot where they landed. Unfortunately 
I arrived too late, for they had already escaped to the 
mountains, after they had divided the spoil. Notwithstanding 
the slight hope I entertained of overtaking them, I set ofi" in 
pursuit, and after a long march I met an Indian, who in- 
formed me that one of the bandits, not so good a walker as the 
others, was not far off, and that if I and my guards ran quickly 
we might overtake him. Alila was the best runner — he was 
as fleet as a deer; so I told him : " Set out, Alila, and bring 
me that runaway, either dead or alive." 



ALILA IS WOUNDED. 161 

My brave lieutenant, to be less encumbered in the race, 
left his gun with us, took a long spear, and went off. Shortly 
after we had lost sight of him we heard the report of fire- 
arms ; we knew it must be the brigand firing upon Alila, 
and we all thought that he was killed or wounded. We 
hastened forward, in the hopes of arriving in time to render 
him assistance ; but we soon saw him coming leisurely towards 
us ; his face and clothes were covered with blood, the spear in 
his right hand, and in his left the hideous head of the bandit, 
which he carried by the hair — as Judith had formerly done 
with that of Holophernes. But my poor Alila was wounded, 
and my first care was to examine if the wound was serious. 
When I was satisfied it wss not dangerous, I asked him for 
the details of his combat. 

" Master," said he to me, " shortly after I left you I per- 
ceived the bandit ; he saw me also, and ran off as quickly as he 
could, but I ran faster than he, and was soon close to him. 
When he lost all hopes of escaping he turned upon me and 
presented his pistol ; I was not alarmed, and advanced towards 
him at all risk. The pistol was fired, and I felt myself 
wounded in the face ; this wound did not stop me. I darted at 
him and pierced his body with my spear ; but, as he was too 
heavy for me to bring to you, I cut off his head, and here it is." 

When I had congratulated Alila upon his success, I ex- 
amined his wound, and found that a fragment of a bail, cut 
into four pieces, had hit him upon the cheek, and was flattened 
on the bone. I extracted it, and a speedy cure followed. 

Now, as I have almost terminated, and shall not return to, 
my numerous adventures with the bandits, I resume the con- 
tinuation of my ordinary life at Jala- Jala. 




The Houae ol La Planclie. 



HAPTEE VIII. 



Death of my Brother Robert — Our Party at Jala- Jala — Illness and Last Moments 
of my Friend Bermigau — Recovery and Departure for France of Lafond — 
Joachim BEdthazard: his Eccentricity — Tremendous Gale of Wind — Nareow 
Escape in Crossing the Lake — Safe Return to Jala-Jala — Destmction of my 
House and the Village by a Typhoon — Rendezvous with a Bandit — Ineffectual 
Attempts to Reform Him — His Death — Journey to Tapuzi — Its Inaccessibility 
— Government of the Tapuzians — Morality and Religious Character of their 
Chief — Their Curiosity at Beholding a White Man — Former Wickedness and 
Divine Punishment — We bid Adieu to the Tapuzians, and Return to Jala-Jala, 

A T this period a sad event plunged my house into mourning. 
-^ Letters from my family announced to me that my brother 
Robert had returned from Porto-Rico, but that soon after a 
serious illness had carried him to the grave. He died in the 
arms of my mother and sisters, in the small house of La 
Planche, where, as I said before, we had all been brought up. 



DOMESTIC AFFLICTIONS. 168 

My excellent Anna, wept -with us, and exerted every means 
that interesting affection could suggest to alleviate the grief my 
brother Henry and myself experienced from this melancholy 
bereavement. A few months afterwards a new source of sorrow 
fell to our lot. Our little social party at Jala-Jala consisted 
of my sister-in-law ; of Delaunay, a young man from St. Malo, 
who had come from Bourbon to establish at Manilla some 
manufactories for baking sugar; of Bermigan, a young Spaniard; 
and my friend. Captain Gabriel Lafond, like myself, from 
Nantes. He had come to the Philippine islands on board the 
Fits de France, had passed some years in South America, and 
had occupied several places of distinction in the navy, as 
captain-commandant, until at last, after many adventures and 
vicissitudes, he came with a small fortune to Manilla, where he 
bought a vessel, and set sail for the Pacific Ocean, to fish for 
the balate or sea-worm. He had scarcely reached the island 
of Tongatabou when the vessel struck upon the rocks that 
surround this island ; he saved himself by swimming to the 
shore, having lost everything. From thence he went to the 
Marianne islands, where grief and bad food caused him to fall 
ill ; he returned to Manilla, labouring under dysentry. T had 
him brought to my house, and whilst there attended to him 
with all the care a fellow-countryman and a good friend 
endowed with sterling and amiable qualities, deserved. Our 
evenings were spent in amusing and instructive conversation. 
As we had all travelled a great deal, each had somethimg to 
relate. During the day the invalids kept company with the 
ladies, while my brother and myself followed our respective 
avocations. But soon, alas ! a shocking event disturbed the 
calm that reigned at Jala-Jala, Bermigan fell so dangerously 
ill, that a few days sufficed to convince me there was no hope 



164 TWENTY TEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

of saving him. I shall never forget the fatal night : we were 
all assembled in the drawing-room, grief and consternation 
were in every heart and pourtrayed in every countenance ; in an 
adjoining room a few short steps from us, we heard the death- 
rattle of poor Bermigan, who had only a few minutes to live. 
My excellent friend, Lafond, whom sickness had reduced 
almost to the last stage, broke silence, and said : " Well ! 
poor Bermigan goes to-day, and in a few days, perhaps to- 
morrow, it will be my turn. Just see ! my dear Don Pablo ; 
I may almost say that I no longer exist. Look at my feet — 
my body ! I am a, mere skeleton ; I can scarcely take any 
food. Ah ! it is better to be dead than live like this ! " 

I was so persuaded that his forebodings would not be de- 
layed in being Realized, that I scarcely dared to utter the 
smallest consolation or any hopes. Who could then have told 
me that he and I alone were to survive all those who sur- 
rounded us, full of life and health '? But, alas ! let us not here 
anticipate future events. 

Poor Btrmigan breathed his last. Our house at Jala- 
Jala was no longer untouched by the hand of Death — a human 
being had expired therein ; and on the following day, in sadness 
and silence, we all proceeded to the cemetery, to inter the body 
of our friend, and to render him the last proofs of our respect. 
The body was laid at the foot of a large cross, which is placed 
in the centre of the grave-yard. For many days sadness and 
silence prevailed in our home at Jala-Jala. 

Some time afterwards I had the gratification to see the 
efforts I employed for my friend Lafond were successful. By 
means of the strong remedies I administered his health was 
speedily restored, his appetite returned, and he was soon able 
to set sail for France. He is now residing in Paris, married 



JOACHIM BALTHAZARD — HIS ECCENTKICITT. 165 

to a woman possessed of every quality necessaiy to make a 
man liappy, and is the father of three children. Holding an 
honourable position, and enjoying public esteem, he has never 
forgotten the six months he spent at Jala-Jala, for ingratitude 
never sullied his noble, loving, and devoted heart. A sincere 
attachment still subsists between us, and I am happy thus to 
assure him that he is, and ever will be, to me a valued friend.* 

As I have now mentioned several persons who resided for 
some time at Jala-Jala, I must not forget one of my colonists, 
Joachim Balthazard, a native of Marseilles, as eccentric a man 
as I have ever known. When Joachim was young, he set sail 
from Marseilles. When he arrived at Bourbon, his name not 
being on the crew's list, he was arrested, and put on board the 
Astrolabe, which was then making a voyage round the world. 
He deserted at the Marianne islands, and came to the Philip- 
pines in the greatest distress, and addressed himself to some 
good friars, in order, as he said, to effect his conversion 
and his salvation. He lived among them, and at their ex- 
pense, for nearly two years ; afterwards he opened a coflfee- 
house at Manilla, and spent in pleasure and debauchery a large 
sum of money that a fellow-countryman and I had advanced him. 
He afterwards built upon my grounds a large straw edifice, that 
had more the appearance of a huge magazine than of a house. 
There he kept a kind of seraglio, adopted all the children 
which his numerous wives gave him, and> with his own family, 
made his house not unlike a mutual school. Whenever he was 
weary of either of his wives he called one of his workmen, 
saying to him in the most serious manner : 

"There is a wife that I give you; be a good husband, 
treat her well : and you, woman, this is your husband, be faith- 

* See Appendix, Xo. 1. 



166 TWENTY YEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

ful to him. Go, may God bless you ! Be ofiF, and let me never 
see you again." 

He was generally without a farthing, or all of a sudden 
rich with heavy sums, that were spent in a few days. He 
borrowed from everybody, and never paid them back ; he lived 
like a real Indian, and was as cowardly as a half-drowned 
chicken. His light-coloured hair, sallow complexion, and beard- 
less face, gave him the nick-name among the Indians of 
Onela-Dogou, Tagalese words, that signify "one who has no 
blood." 

As I was one day crossing over the lake m a small canoe 
with him and two Indians, we were assailed by one of those 
extraordinary gales of wind, which in the Chinese seas are called 
Tay-Foung (typhoon). These gales of wind, though extremely 
rare, are tremendous. The sky is covered with the heaviest 
clouds ; the rain pours in torrents ; the day-light disappears, 
almost as much as in the densest fog; and the wind blows with 
such fuiy that it throws down everything it reaches in its 
course.* 

We were in our canoe ; the wind had scarcely begu^ to 
blow with all its violence than Balthazard commenced to 
invoke all the saints in Paradise. Almost in despair, he cried 
out aloud 

" Oh, God ! have mercy upon me, a wretched sinner ! Grant 
me the grace that I may have an opportunity of confessing my 
sins, and of receiving absolution!" 

All these lamentations and appeals served only to frighten 
my two Indians, and most undoubtedly our position was critical 
enough for us to endeavour to retain our presence of mind, so 

* I experienced two such gales during my residence, at Jala- Jala — the 
one I am now speaking of, and another to which I shall afterwards allude. 



TKEMENDOUS GALE OF WIND. 167 

as to attend to the management of our little boat, which from 
one moment to another was in danger of being swamr)ed. How- 
ever, I was certain that, being provided with two large beams 
of bamboos, it could keep its position in the current between 
two waters and not capsize, if we had the precaution and 
strength to scud before the wind, and not turn the side to a 
wave, for in such case we should all have been drowned. 
What I foresaw, happened. A wave burst upon us ; for a few 
minutes we were plunged in the deep, but when the wave 
passed over we came above water. Our canoe was swamped 
between the currents, but we did not abandon it ; we put our 
legs under the seats, and held them fast ; the half of our body 
was above water. But every time that a wave came towards 
us it passed over our heads, and then went off, giving us 
time to breathe until another wave came and dashed over us. 
Every three or four minutes the same manoeuvring took place. 
My Indians and I used all our strength and skill to scud on 
before the wind. Balthazard had ceased his lamentations ; we 
all kept silence ; from time to time I only uttered these words : 
"Take courage, boys, we shall reach the shore." 
Our position then became much worse, for night set in. 
The rain continued to pour in torrents, the wind increased in 
fury. From time to time we received gome light from globes 
of fire, like what the sailors call " Saint Elmo's fire." While 
these rays of light continued I looked as far around me as I 
could, and only perceived an immense body of water in furious 
agitation. For nearly two hours we were tossed about by the 
waves that drove us towards the beach, and, at a moment when 
we least expected it, we found ourselves driven into the midst of 
an extensive grove of lofty bamboos, I then knew that we were 
over the land, and that the lake had inundated the country for 



168 TWENTY TEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

several miles around. We were up to our breasts in water, 
and it was not in our power to pass through the inundation. 
The darkness was too great to allow us to go in any direction ; 
our canoe was no longer of any use to us, as it was entangled 
among the bamboos. We climbed up the trees as well as we 
could, even to the height where the bamboos end in sharp 
points ; our bodies were much torn by the sharp thorns grow- 
ing on the small branches ; the rain continued to pour without 
intermission ; the wind still blowed, and each gust caused the 
bamboos to bend, the flexible branches of which tore our 
bodies and faces. I have suffered a great deal in the course 
of my life, but no night ever appeared to me so long and cruel as 
this ! Joachim Balthazard then recovered his speech, and, in a 
trembling, broken voice, said to me : 

" Ah ! Don Pablo, do write I beg of you, to my mother, 
and tell her the tragical end of her son !" 

I could not help answering him : "You cowardly rascal! 
Do you think, then, that I am more at my ease than you are ? 
Hold your tongue, otherwise I shall make you turn diver, so 
that I may never hear you again." Poor Joachim then knew 
what to do, and did not utter a word ; only from time to time 
he made us aware of his trouble by his deep moans. 

The wind, which was blowing from the north-west, towards 
four o'clock in the morning suddenly changed to the east, 
and shortly afterwards gave over. It was almost daylight : 
we were saved. We could at last see one another ; all four 
of us looked in a wretched condition ; our clothes being torn 
to pieces. Our bodies were lacerated, and covered with deep 
scratches. The cold had penetrated into the very marrow of 
our bones, and the long bath we had taken had wrinkled the 
skin ; we looked just like drowned people taken out of the 



OUR MtRACULU.'JS ESCArE FROM DROWNING. 169 

water, where they had been for some hours. Nevertheless, 
crippled as we were, we slipped down from the bamboos, and 
were soon bathing in the waters of the lake. The effect 
was healthful and agreeable : it seemed like a warm bath at 
30 degrees of heat. 

We were quite restored by this mild temperature. We got 
our canoe out of the grove, where fortunately it had been caught 
so fast that neither the waves nor the currents could drive it 
any farther. We again set it afloat, and soon succeeded in 
reaching an Indian hut, where we dried ourselves, and recruited 
our strength. Calm was now re-established ; the sun shone in 
all its splendour, but everywhere traces of the typhoon were 
visible. In the course of the day we reached Jala-Jala, where 
our arrival caused great joy. They knew at home that I was 
on the lake, and everything led them to presume that I had 
perished. My good and dear Anna threw herself into my 
arms in tears; she had been in such anxiety for my safety, 
that for some moments the tears that flowed down her cheeks 
alone expressed her joy at again seeing me. 

Balthazard returned to his seraglio. As long as he was 
under my protection the Indians respected him, but after my 
departure from Jala-Jala he was assassinated ; and all those 
who knew him agreed that he had deserved his fate for more 
than one cause. 

As I have mentioned this typhoon, I am going to an- 
ticipate a little, in describing, as briefly as possible, a still more 
frightful one than that which I experienced in my slight canoe 
and in the bamboo grove. 

I had just completed some pretty baths upon the lake 
opposite my house. I was quite satisfied and proud of pro- 
curing this new pleasure for my wife. On the very day that 

H 



170 TWENTY YEARS ]N THE PHILIPPINES 

tlie Indians had added the last ornaments to them, towards 
evening a western wind began to blow furiously ; by degrees 
the waters of the lake became agitated, and shortly we no longer 
doubted but that we were going to have a typhoon. 

My brother and I stayed some time examining, through 
the panes of glass, whether the baths would resist the strength 
of the wind, but in a heavy squall my poor edifice disappeared 
like a castle made of cards. We withdrew from the window, 
and luckily too, for a heavier squall than that which had 
destroyed the baths burst in the windows that faced to the 
west. The wind drove through the house, and opened a way 
for itself, by throwing down all the wall over the entrance- door. 
The lake was so agitated that the waves went over my house, 
and inundated all the apartments. We were not able to remain 
there any longer. By assisting each other, my wife, my 
brother, a young Frenchman who was then staying at Jala- 
Jala, and myself, succeeded in reaching a room on the ground- 
floor ; the light came from a very small window ; there, in 
almost total darkness, we spent the greater part of the night, 
my brother and I leaning our shoulders against the window, 
opposing with all our strength that of the wind, which threat- 
ened to force it in. In this small room there wero several 
jars of brandy : my excellent Anna poured some into the 
hollow of her hand, and gave it us to drink, to support our 
strength and to warm us. At break of day the wind ceased, 
and calm re-appeared. All the furniture and decorations of 
my house were broken and shattered to pieces ; all the rooms 
were inundated, and the store-rooms were full of sand, carried 
there by the waters of the lake. Soon my house became an 
asylum for my colonists, who had all spent a wretched night. 
and were without shelter. 



DESTRUCTION OF THE Vll.i^GE 171 

The suu soou shone splendidly ; the sky was cloudless ; 
but my sadness was extreme when, from a window, I examined 
the disasters produced by the typhoon. There was no village ! 
Every hut was levelled to the ground. The church was thrown 
(Jown — my store-houses, my sugar factory, were entirely de- 
stroyed ; there was then nothing more than heaps of ruins. 
My fine cane-fields were altogether destroyed, and the country, 
which previously had appeared so beautiful, seemed as if 
it had passed through a long wintry season. There was 
no longer any verdure to be seen ; the trees were entirely leaf- 
less, with their boughs broken, and portions of the wood were 
entirely torn down ; and all this devastation had taken place 
within a few hours. During that and the following day the 
lake threw up, upon the shore, the bodies of several unfortu- 
nate Indians who had perished. The fij'st care of Padre 
Miguel was to bury the dead, and for a long time afterwards 
there were to be seen, in the grave-yard of Jala-Jala, crosses, 
with the inscription : "An unknown who died during the typhoon." 
My Indians began immediately to rebuild their huts, and I, as 
far as possible, to repair my disasters. 

The fertile nature of the Philippine islands speedily efiaced 
the aspect of mourning which it had assumed. In less than 
eight days the trees were completely covered with new leaves, 
and exhibited themselves as in a brilliant summer, after the 
frightful winter had passed over. The typhoon had embraced 
a diameter of about two leagues, and, like a violent hurricane, 
had upset and shattered everything it met during its course. 

But enough of disasters : I return to the epoch when the 
death of poor Bermigan caused affliction to us all. 

All was prosperity in my dwelling : my Indians were happy ; 
the population of Jala- Jala increased every day ; I was beloved 



\7'2 TWENTY YEABS IN THE PHILlPPiNES 

and respected. I had rendered great service to the Spanish 
government by the incessant warfare I carried on against the 
bandits ; and I may say that even amongst them I enjoyed a 
high reputation. They looked upon me, indeed, as their enemy, 
but in the light of a brave enemy, incapable of committing 
any act of baseness against them, and who carried on an honour- 
able warfare ; and the Indian character was so well known to 
me, that I did not fear they would play me any low tricks, 
or would treacherously attack me. Such was my conviction, 
that around my house I was never accompanied by day or by 
night. I traversed without fear all the forests and mountains, 
and I often even treated with these honourable bandits, as one 
power does with another, by not disdaining the invitations 
sometimes sent to me to come to a certain place, where, with- 
out fear of surprise, they could consult me, or even invoke my 
assistance. This sort of rendezvous was always held in the 
night, and in very lonely places. On their side, as well as on 
mine, a promise given of not doing any injury to each other 
was religiously observed. In these nocturnal conversations, 
held without witnesses, I often brought back to a life of peace 
mistaken men, whom the turbulence of youth had thrown into 
a series of crimes, which the laws would have visited with 
most severe punishment. Sometimes, however, I failed in my 
attempts, and especially when I had to do with proud and un- 
tameable characters, such as are to be found among men who 
never have had any other guide but natural instinct. One 
day, among others, I received a letter from a half-breed, a 
great criminal, who infested the neighbouring province of 
Laguna ; he told me that he wished to see me, and begged me 
to come alone in the middle of the night to a wild spot, where 
he would also come alone; I did not hesitate to go to the 



DEATH OF A BANDIT. 178 

place appointed. I found Mm there as he had promised mo. 
He told me th.at he wished to change his mode of life, and to 
dwell on my estate. He added, that he had never committed 
any crime against the Spaniards, but only against the Indians 
and the half-breeds. It would have been impossible for me to 
have received him without compromising myself. I proposed 
to place him in the house of a friar, where he might remain 
concealed for several years, until his crimes were foi'gotten, 
and then he could enter into society. After a moment's re- 
flection, he replied : 

" No, that would be to lose mv liberty. To live as a slave! 
I would prefer to die." 

I then proposed to him to go to Tapuzi, a place where 
the bandits, when hotly pursued, were enabled to conceal them- 
selves with impunity. — (I shall very soon have occasion to 
speak of this village.) — The half-breedj with an insignificant 
gesture, replied : 

" No ; the person I wish to take with me would not come 
there. You can do nothing for me, adieu !" 

He then pressed my hand, and we separated. Some days 
afterwards, a hut in which he was seen, near Manilla, was sur- 
rounded by the troops of the line. The bandit then caused 
the owners of the hut lo quit it, and when he saw them out of 
danger he took his carabine and began firing upon the soldiers, 
who on their side returned the attack on the hut. When 
it was riddled with balls, and the bandit had ceased to de- 
fend himself, a soldier approached the hut and set fire to it, 
so great was the fear they entertained of then finding him 
alive. 

These nocturnal interviews having led me to mention 
Fapuzi, I cannot refrain from dedicating a few lines to this 



174 TWENTY YEARS TN THE PHILIPPINES. 

remarkable retreat, where men, when proscribed by the law, 
live together in a sort of accord and union of a most extra- 
ordinary kind. 

Tapuzi,* which in the Tagal language, signifies " end oi 
the world," is a little village, situate in the interior of the 
mountains, nearly twenty-five leagues from Jala-Jala. It was 
formed there by bandits and men who had escaped from the 
galleys, who live in liberty, govern themselves, and are alto- 
gether, on account of the inaccessible position which they 
occupy, safe from any pursuit which could be ordered against 
them by the Spanish government. I had often heard this 
singular village mentioned, but I bad never met anyone who 
had visited it, or could give me any positive details relative to 
it. One day, therefore, I resolved to go thither myself. I 
stated my intention to my lieutenant, who said : 

" Master, I shall find there, no doubt, some of my old 
comrades, and then we shall have nothing to fear." 

Three of us set out together, under the pretext of quite a 
different journey. For two days we walked in the midst of 
mountains, by paths almost impracticable. The third day 
we reached a torrent, the bed of which was blocked up by 
enormous stones. This ravine was the only road by which we 
could get to Tapuzi ; it was the natural and impregnable ram- 
part which defended the village against the attack of the Spanish 
troops. My lieutenant had just told me : 

' ' Look, master, above your head. None but the inhabit- 
ants of Tapuzi know the paths which lead to the top of the 
mountains. All along the length of the ravine they have placed 
enormous stones, that they have only to push to throw them 

* Tapuzi is situated in the mountains of Limutan. Limutan is a 
Tagalese word, signifying "altogether forgotten." 



JOURNEY TO TAPUZI. 175 

down upon those who should come to attack them ; a whole 
army could not penetrate among them, if they wished to give 
any opposition." 

I clearly saw that we were not in a very agreeable position, 
and against which, if the Tapuzians should consider us as 
enemies, we could oppose no defence. But we were involved 
in it, and there was no means of retreating, it was absolutely 
necessary to go to Tapuzi. We had been already more than 
an hour in this ravine when an immense block of stone fell 
down perpendicularly, and broke into pieces only twenty yards 
before us : it was a warning. We stopped, laid down our 
arms, and sat down. Perhaps just such another block as 
what had fallen was hanging over our heads, ready to crush 
us to pieces. We heard a scream near us. I told my lieu- 
tenant to proceed alone towards the direction it came from. In 
a few minutes he returned, accompanied by two Indians, who, 
confident in my pacific intentions towards them, came to fetch 
us, to take us to the .village. We proceeded cheerfully on the 
remainder of the road until we reached the spot where ended 
the sort of funnel we were walking in. Upon this height there 
was to be seen a plain, some miles in circumference, sur- 
rounded by high mountains. The part that we were in was 
stopped up by enormoua blocks of rocks, lying one on the top 
of the other. From behind stretched forth an abrupt threat- 
ening mountain, without any signs of vegetation — not unlike an 
ancient European fortress, that some magical power had raised 
in the midst of the high mountains that commanded it. With 
one glance I beheld the whole of the site we were crossing, 
and at the same time reflected upon the great varieties nature 
presents to our view. We soon reached the long wished- 
for object of our journey — the village of Tapuzi. It lies at the 



176 TWENTY YEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

extreme end of a plain, composed of about sixty thatched huts, 
similar to those of the Indians. The inhabitants were all at 
their windows, to witness our arrival. Our guides conducted 
us to their chief, or Matanda-sanayon, a fine old man, from the 
look of his face about eighty years of age. He bowed affably 
to us, and addressed himself to me. 

" How are you come here — as a friend, or is it curiosity — 
or do the cruel laws of the Spaniards perhaps compel you to 
seek refuge among us ? If such is the case, you are welcome ; 
you will find us brothers." 

" No," I said to him ; " we do not come to stay among you. 1 
am your neighbour, and lord of Jala-Jala. I am come to see 
you, to offer you my friendship, and to ask yours." 

At the name Jala-Jala the old man looked quite astonished : 
he then said to me : 

" It is a long time since I heard you spoken of as an agent 
of the government for pursuing unfortunate men, but I have 
heard also that you fulfilled your mission with much kindness, 
and that often you were their protector, so be welcome." 

After this first recognition they presented us some milk 
and some kidney potatoes, and during our repast the old man 
conversed freely with me. 

" Several years ago," said he to me, " at a period I cannot 
recollect, some men came to live in Tapuzi. The peace and 
safety they enjoyed made others imitate their example, who 
sought like themselves to avoid the punishment of some faults 
they had committed. We soon saw fathers of families, with 
their wives and children flock hither ; this was the foundation 
of the small government that you see. Now here almost all 
is in common ; some fields of kidney potatoes or Indian corn. 
and hunting, suflBce for us ; he who possesses auytbing givet 



GOVERNMENT OF THE TAPUZIANS. 177 

to him who has nothing Ahnost all our clothing is knitted and 
woven by our wives ; the abaca, or vegetable silk, from the forest 
supplies us the thread that is necessary ; we do not know what 
money is, we do not require any. Here there is no ambition ; 
each one is certain of not suffering from hunger. From time to 
time strangers come to visit us. If they are willing to submit 
to our laws, they remain with us ; they have a fortnight of pro- 
bation to go through before they decide. Our laws are lenient 
and indulgent. We have not forgotten the religion of our 
forefathers, and God no doubt will forgive me my first faults, 
on account of my efforts for so many years to promote his 
worship, and the well-being of my equals." 

"But," said I to him, "who is your chief, who are your 
judges and priests ?" 

" It is I," said he, " who fulfil all those functions. Formerly 
they lived like savages here. I was young, robust, and devoted 
to all my brothers. Their chief had just expired : I was chosen 
to replace him. I then took care to do nothing but what was 
just, and conducive to the happiness of those who confided in me. 
Until then they had devoted but little attention to religion : I 
wished to put my people in mind that they were born Christians. 
I appointed one hour every Sunday for us to pray together, 
and I have invested myself with all the attributes of a minister 
of the Gospel. I celebrate the marriages, I pour water upon 
the foreheads of the infants, and I offer consolations to the 
dying. In my youth, I was a chorister; I remembered the 
church ceremonies ; and if I do not actually possess the 
necessary attributes for the functions I have given myself, I 
practise them with faith and love. This is the reason I trust 
that my good intentions will obtain my forgiveness from Him 
who is the Sovereign Lord of all." 



178 



TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 



During the whole time of the old man's conversation I was 
in continual admiration. I was among people who had the 
reputation of living in the greatest licentiousness as thieves 
and robbers. Their character was altogether misunderstood. 
It was a real, great phalanstery, composed of brothers, almost all 
worthy of the name. Above all I admired this fine old man, who, 
with moral principles and simple laws, had governed them for 
so many years. On the other hand, what an example that was 
of free men not being able to live without choosing a chief, and 
bringing one another back to the practice of virtuous actions ! 

I explained to the old man all my thoughts. I bestowed 
upon him a thousand praises for his condnct, and assured him 
that the Archbishop of Manilla would approve all the religious 




^61^^ IT---""*' 
CInirch of Paodnonn, in the environs of Mnnilla. 



THEIR CUBIOSITY — DIVINE PUNISHMENT. l79 

acts He performed with so noble an object. I even offered to 
intercede with the archbishop in his behalf, that he might 
send a pastor to assist him. But he replied : 

" No, thank you, sir; never speak about us. We should 
certainly be glad to have a minister of the Gospel here, but 
soon, under Ms influence, we should be subjected to the 
Spanish government. It would be requisite for us to have 
money to pay our contributions. Ambition would soon creep 
in amongst us, and from the freedom which we now enjoy, we 
should gradually sink into a state of slavery, and should no 
longer be happy. Once more I entreat of you, do not speak 
of us : give me your word that you will not." 

This argument appeared so just to me that I acquiesced to 
his request. I again gave him all the praise he deserved, and 
promised never to disturb the peace of the inhabitants of his 
village under any pretext whatever. 

In the evening we received visits from all the inhabitants, 
particularly from the women and children, who all had an im- 
moderate curiosity to see a white man. None of the Tapuzian 
women had ever been out of their village, and had scarcely ever 
lost sight of their huts ; it was not, therefore, astonishing that 
they were so curious. 

The next day I went round the plain, and visited the fields 
of kidney potatoes and Indian corn, the principal nourishment 
of the inhabitants. The old chief and some elderly people 
accompanied me. When we reached the spot where, upon the 
eve, I had already remarked enormous blocks of rock, the old 
man paused and told me : 

"Look yonder, Castilla.* At a time when the Tapuz/.ans 

• In the eyes of the natives of Tagal all Europeans are Spaniards. 



180 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

were without religion, and lived as wild beasts, God punished 
them. Look at all the part of that mountain quite strij)ped 
of vegetation : one night, during a tremendous earthquake, 
that mountain split in two — one part swallowed up the half 
of the village that then stood on the place where those enormous 
rocks are. A few hundred steps further on all would have 
been destroyed ; there would no longer have existed a single 
person in Tapuzi : but a part on the population was not injured, 
and came and settled themselves where the village now is. 
Since then we pray to the Almighty, and live in a manner so 
as not to deserve so severe a chastisement as that experienced 
by the wretched victims of that awful night." 

The conversation and society of this old man — I might say 
the King of Tapuzi — was most interesting to me. But I had al- 
ready been four days absent from Jala- Jul a. I ordered my 
lieutenant to prepare for our departure. We bid most affec- 
tionate adieus to our hosts, and set off. In two days I re- 
turned home, quite pleased with my journey and the good 
inhabitants of Tapuzi. 




';'p#^ 



Hunting pnrty at Jala-JalH 



CHAPTER IX. 

Suppression of War between two Indian Towns — Flourisliing Condition of Jala. 
Jala — Hospitality to Strangers — Field Sports — Bat and Lizard Shooting — 
Visit to, and Description of, the Isle of Socolme — Adventure with a Cayman — 
Cormorants — We Visit Los Banos — Monkey Shooting — Expedition to, and 
Description of, the Grotto of San-Mateo— Magnificent aspect of the Interior. 



FOUND Anna in great trouble, not only on account of my 
absence, but because, on the previous evening, information 
had been received that the inhabitants of the two largest towns 



183 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILirPINKS. 

in the province had, as it was stated, declared war against each 
other ; the most courageous amongst them, to the number of 
three or four hundred on each side, had started for the island of 
Talem, There both parties, in the presence of each other, 
were upon the point of engaging in a battle ; already, while 
skirmishing, several had been mortally wounded. 

This news frightened Anna she knew that I was not a 
man who would await quietly at home the issue of the battle ; 
she already fancied she saw me, with my ten guards, engaged 
in the thick of the fight, and perhaps a victim of my devoted- 
ness. I comforted her as I had always done, promising to be 
prudent, and not forget her ; but there was not a moment to 
lose ; it was necessary, at all risks, to try to put an end to a 
conflict that might no doubt cause the death of many men. 
How could I do so with my ten guards ? Dare I pretend to 
impose my will as law on this vast multitude ? Clearly not. 
To attempt to do it by force would be to sacrifice all : what 
was to be done ? Arm all my Indians — but I had not boats 
enough to carry them to Talem : in this difficulty I decided 
upon setting out alone with my lieutenant. We took our arms, 
and set sail in a canoe, that we steered ourselves ; we had 
scarcely come near the beach within hail of the shore, vihen 
some armed Indians called out to us to stand off, otherwise 
they would fire upon us. Without paying attention to this 
threat, my lieutenant and I, some minutes later, jumped boldly 
on shore, and after a few steps we found ourselves in the midst 
of the combatants. 

I went immediately up to the chiefs and addressed them. 

"Wretched men," I said to them, " what are you going to do ? 
It is upon you who command that the severity of the law will 
fall. It is still time : try to deserve your pardon. Order your 



MY SUPPRESSION OF A NATIVE WAR. 183 

men to give me up their arms ; lay down your own, or else in a 
few minutes I will place myself at the head of your enemies 
to fight against you. Obey, if not you will be treated as 
rebels." 

They listened attentively to me ; they were half conquered. 
However, one of them made me this reply : 

" And if you take away our arms who will satisfy us that 
our enemies will not come to attack us ? " 

"I will," I told them; "I give jou my word; and if 
they do not obey me as you are going to do, I will return 
to you, I will give you back your arms, and will fight at 
your head." 

These words, said with a tone of authoi'ity and command, 
produced the effect I expected. The chiefs, without uttering 
a word, laid their arms at my feet. Their example was fol 
lowed by all the combatants, and, in a moment, a heap of cara 
bines, guns, spears, and cutlasses were laid down before me 
I appointed ten among these individuals who had just obeyed 
me, gave them each a gun, and told them ; 

" I confide to you the care of these arms. If anyone at- 
tempts to take possession of them, fire upon the assailants." 

I pretended to take down their names, and went off to the 
opposite camp, where I found all the combatants on foot, ready 
to march and fight against their enemies. I stopped them, 
saying : 

" The battle is over — your enemies are disarmed. You, 
too, must give me up your arms, or else immediately embark 
in your canoes, and go home. If you do not obey me, I will 
give back their arms instantly to your opponents, and 1 will 
put myself at their head to fight against you. Perform what 
I command you ; I promise you all shall be forgotten. " 



184 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

There was no room for hesitation. The Indians knew that 
I did not allow much time for i-eflection, and that my threats and 
chastisements followed each other closely. Shortly after, they 
all embarked in their canoes. I remained on the beach alone, 
with my lieutenant, until I had almost lost sight of this small 
fleet. I then returned to the other camp, where I was impa- 
tiently expected. I announced to the Indians they had no 
longer any enemies, and that consequently they could go back 
quietly to their village. 

But a few days elapsed, as may be seen, without my having 
new dangers to encounter. I was accustomed to them: I 
relied upon my star, and triumphed from all my imprudences. 
My Indians were blindly submissive to me. I was so certain 
of their fidelity, that I no longer took against them the precau- 
tions which I considered necessary during the first year of 
my residence at Jala-Jala. 

My Anna took part every day more and more in my 
labours, anxieties, and even in some of my dangers. Would it 
have been possible not to have loved her with deeper affection, 
than that which one feels for a companion leading a peaceful 
and insignificant life ? With what gladness she received me 
after the shortest absence ! Joy and satisfaction shone on her 
face, her caresses were as a balsam that healed all my lassi- 
tude, and even the reproaches she addressed me so gently, for 
the uneasiness I had caused her, fell upon my heart as drops 
of beatitude. 

Jala- Jala was most flourishing ; immense fields of rice, 
sugar-cane, and coffee, had taken the place of woods and forests 
unproductive in themselves. Rich pasture-grounds were co- 
vered with numerous flocks ; and a fine Indian village stood 
in the centre of the labouring-ground. Here, there was every- 



1."^ VITALITY TO STEANOEES. 



185 



where to be seen plenty, activity ; and joy smiled on the coun- 
tenances of all the inhabitants. My own dwelling had become 
the rendezvous, or resorting-place, of all the traveller? arriving 
at Manilla, and a refuge of -~ 

convalescence of many pa- t'< "^^-SsSi!?^ 

tients, who would com© ,»!i^ 

and breathe the good and 
mild air of Jala-Jala, as 
well as enjoy its pleasures 
and amusements. Under 
that roof there was no dis- 
tinction, no difference; all 
were equals in our eyes, 






\„ 




186 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHLLTPPINES. 

whether French, Spanish, English, American. No matter to 
what nation belonged those who landed at Jala-Jala, they were 
received like brothers, and with all that cordial hospitality to 
to be found formerly in our colonies. My visitors enjoyed full 
and active liberty on my little estate ; but he who was not 
desirous of eating alone was obliged to remember the time of 
meals : during the other hours of the day one and all followed 
their own inclinations. For instance, naturalists went in pur- 
suit of insects and birds, and made an ample harvest of every 
species of plants. Persons ailing met with the assiduous care 
of a physician, as well as with the kind attention and enjoyed 
the company of a most amiable and well-informed mistress of 
the house, who had the natui*al talent of enchanting all those 
who spent but a short time in her society. They who liked 
walking might look about for the fine views, and choose their 
resting-place either in the woods, the mountains, near the 
cascades or the brooks, or on the beautiftd borders of the 
lake. 

But to sportsmen Jala-Jala was really a " promised land ;" 
there they always found a good pack of hounds, Indians to 
guide them, good stout horses to carry them across the various 
mountains and plains, where the stag and wild boar were to be 
met with most plentifully ; and were they desirous of less 
fatiguing exercise, they only had to jump into some of our 
light canoes, and skim over the blue waters, shooting on their 
way at the hosts of aquatic birds flying around them in all di- 
rections, — they could even land on the various small islands 
situated between Jala- Jala and the isle of Talem. There they 
could find a sort of sport utterly unknown in Europe— that is, 
immense bats, a species of vampire, designated by naturalists 
by the name of roussettes. During six months in the year, at 




LA GIRONIEBE IN HIS HUNTING DRESS.— Pfl^e 186. 



BAT AND LIZARD SHOOTlNa. 187 

the period of the eastern monsoon, every tree on these little 
isles is covered, from the topmost down to the lowest branch, 
with those huge bats, that supply the place of the foliage 
which they have entirely destroyed. Muffled up in their 
vast wings they sleep during the whole day, and in the night- 
time they start off in large bodies roaming about in search 
of their prey. But as soon as the western monsoon has suc- 
ceeded the eastern, they disappear, and repair always to the 
same place, — the eastern coast of Luzon, where they take 
shelter; after the monsoon changed, they return to their 
former quarters. 

As soon as our guests would alight upon one of, these 
islands, they opened their fire, and continued it till — 
frightened by so many explosions and the screams of the 
wounded, clinging to and hanging from the branches — the bats 
would fly away in a body — en masse. For some time they would 
whirl and turn round and round like a dense cloud over their 
abandoned home, imitating, in a most perfect way, those furies 
we see in certain engravings representmg the infernal regions, 
and then, flying off a short distance, would perch upon the 
trees in a neighbouring isle. If the sportsmen were not over- 
fatigued by the slaughter they might then follow them, and 
set-to again ; but they generally found they had made victims 
enough, and diversified their pleasure by picldng up the slain 
from under the trees. The bat shooting over, our sportsmen 
would then proceed to a new sport — 

" To fresh fields and pastures new ;" 

that is, in pursuit of and shooting at the iguanas, a large 
species of lizard, measuring from five to six feet long, which 
infest the rocks on the borders of the lake. Tired of firing 



188 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

without being obliged to show any skill, our chasseurs would 
re-embark in their pirogues and row in search of new amuse- 
ment, — this was, to shoot at the eagles that came hovering over 
their heads. Here skill was requisite, as well as a prompt, 
sure glance of the eye, as it is only with ball that these enor- 
mous birds of prey can be reached. Our fowlers would then 
return home, with their boats full of game ; and everyone, of 
course, had his own feats of prowess to relate. 

The flesh of the iguana and the bat is savoury and delicate ; 
but as for its taste, that entirely depends upon the imagina- 
tion, as may here be seen. 

After returning from one of these grand shooting excursions 
to the minor islands, a young American informed me that his 
friends and he himself were most desirous of tasting the 
iguana and the bat; so, supposing them all to be of the 
same mind, I ordered my maitre-dliotel to prepare for dinner 
a curry of iguana and a ragout of bats. The first dish served 
round at dinner was the curry, of which they one and all par- 
took with very good appetite ; upon which I ventured to say : 
" You see the flesh of the iguana is most delicate." At these 
words all my guests turned pale, and they all, by a sudden 
motion, pushed their plates from before them, not even being 
able to swallow what their mouths contained. I was therefore 
obliged to order the removal of the entrees of iguana and bats 
before we could proceed with the repast. 

When it was in my power, I would accompany my guests 
in their excursions, and then the chase was abundant and full 
of interest, because I ever took care to guide them towards 
places abounding in game and very picturesque. Sometimes 
I would take them to the isle of Socolme, a still more curious 
place indeed than the bat islands. Socolme is a circular lake 



THE ISLE AND LAKE OF SOCOLME. 189 

being one league in circumference — in the midst of the great 
lake of Bay, from which it is separated by a cordon or ribbon of 
land ; or, to express myself better, by a mountain which rises 
to an elevation of from twelve to fifteen hundred feet ; the 
centre of the mountain at the summit is occupied by the lake 
of Socolme, and is evidently the crater of an extinct volcano. 
Both sides are completely covered with large trees of luxuriant 
growth. It is on the border of the small lake — -where the Indians 
never go, through fear of the caymans — that almost all the aquatic 
birds of the grand lake resort to lay their eggs. Every tree, white 
with the guano which they deposit there, is covered with birds'- 
nests, full of eggs and birds of every size and age. 

One day, in company of my brother and Mr. Hamilton 
Lindsay,* an Englishman, who was as fearless an explorer as 
ourselves, I started from the plantation, with the intention of 
baving some light canoes carried across the high ground which 
separates the Socolme lake from the lake of Bay, and of using 
them on the lake; and, after overcoming many difficulties, we, 
by the assistance of our Indians, carried out this project. 

We were the first tourists that ever ventured to expose our 
lives on this Socolme lake. The Indians who had come with 
us refused most decidedly to enter the boats, and exerted all 
their eloquence to prevent us from going on the water. They 
spoke to us thus : — 

"You are going, for no good purpose, to expose yourselves 
to very great dangers, against which you have no means of 
defence, for before you have gone far you will see thousands of 

* While this work was in the press, llr. Hamilton Lindsay, who has 
already published an account of his "Voyage to the Northern Ports of 
China," kindly furnished the Publishers with confirmatory proofs of 
M. de la G-ironiere's narrative, see Appendix, No. II. 



190 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

caymans rising out of the deep water ; they will come to attack 
you, and what can you oppose to those ferocious and invulner- 
able monsters ? Your guns and bullets connot wound them. 
And as for escape by rowing quickly, that is not possible. In 
their own element they swim much faster than your canoes, 
and when they come up to you they will turn your boats up- side- 
down with far more ease than you can drive it along ; and then 
the frightful scene will begin, from which you cannot escape." 

There was much good sense in what they said, and there 
can be no doubt that it was most imprudent of us to em- 
bark in a little frail canoe, and to make a trip over a lake 
inhabited by such numbers of caymans, and especially since it 
was to be feared that the lake did not supply fish enough to 
satisfy their voracity ; and of course when enraged by hunger 
they were more to be dreaded. 

But we were never deterred by dangers or difficulties ; so, 
taking no account of the prognostics of my prudent Indians, 
we, while they were delivering their long speeches, had lashed 
together two canoes for greater security. 

We had not proceeded many yards from the bank, when we 
all experienced feelings of alarm, attributable, no doubt, to the 
expectation of danger being immediate, as well as to the aspect 
of the place which presented itself to our view. 

We were down in the deepest part of a gulf, surrounded by 
lofty and precipitous mountains, which were externally covered 
with very thick vegetation. They, on all sides, presented a bar- 
rier, through which it was impossible to pass. The shadows 
which they cast over the water, at the extreme point of the 
lake, produced the effect of half darkness, which, in conjunction 
with the silence prevailing in that dismal solitude, gave it an 
aspect so dreary and saddening, as to produce in us most painful 



ADVENTURE WITH A CAYi\IAN. 191 

feelings ; each of us as it were, struck with terror, kept his 
thoughts to himself, and no one spoke. 

Our canoes went on, moving farther and farther from the 
brink from which we had embarked ; and it glided easily over 
the glassy sheet of water, which is never agitated by even the 
roughest gales, and does not receive the rays of the sun except 
when that luminary is at the zenith. 

The silence in which we were absorbed was suddenly 
broken by the appearance of a cayman, which raised its hideous 
head, and opened its enormous jaws, as if about to swallow the 
canoes, as it darted after us. 

The moment was come ; the grand drama announced by 
the Indians was about to be realised, or all our fears would be 
dissipated without any delay. There was not one instant to 
be spared, and we had no choice but to try and escape as fast 
as we could, for the enemy was gaining on us, and it would be 
madness to await his attack. I was steering, and I exerted 
myself to the utmost to get away from the danger and to 
escape to the shore. But the amphibious beast was approach- 
ing so fast that he could almost seize us, when Lindsay, run- 
ning all risks, fired his gun direct at the brute. 

The effect produced by the detonation was prodigious, 
for, as it were by enchantment, it dispelled all our appre- 
hensions. The awful silence was broken in the most striking 
manner; the cayman was frightened, and sank, abruptly to 
the bottom of the lake ; hundreds of echoes resounded from 
all sides, like the discharges of a rifle corps, and these were 
repeated to the tops of the mountains, while clouds of cor- 
morants, starting from all the trees around, uttered their 
screaming and piercing cries, in which they were joined by 
the Indians, who shouted with joy on seeing from the bank 



192 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHlLU^il .M:S. 

the flight of the hostile beast, of which they are always so 
much afraid. 

All then became tranquil, and we proceeded at our leisure. 
From time to time a cayman made his appearance ; but the 
explosions caused by our firing soon drove the monsters 
down into the deepest parts of the lake, more frightened than 
hurt, for even when we struck them our balls rebounded from 
their scales without piercing them. 

We went close to the large trees, the branches of which 
were spreading over the water ; they were thickly covered with 
nests, filled with eggs, and so great a quantity of young birdS; 
that we not only captured as many as we wished, but could have 
filled several boats with them. 

The cormorants, alarmed by the explosions we made, 
whirled over us continually, like an immense cloud, during the 
time we troubled their gloomy abode, and seemed to " dis- 
turb their solitary reign ;" but they did not wish to go far from 
their nests, in which their young broods were crying out for 
parental care. 

After we had rowed round the lake, we came to the spot 
from which we started, having ended our expedition happily 
without any accident, and even without having incurred all 
the dangers that our Indians, who were awaiting our return in 
order to take our boats once more across the mountain, had 
wished to make us believe. 

Eesolved not to finish the excursion without producing 
some beneficial results for the sake of scientific knowledge, we 
measured the circumference of the lake, which we found to be 
about two miles and a-half. We were able to take soundings 
in the deepest parts towards tho middle, where we found the 
depth about three hundred feet ; while at some few fathoms 



LOS BANGS MONKEY SHOOTING. 193 

from the banks we found it was invariably one hundred and 
eighty feet. And here the remark may be made, that in no 
part of the great Lake of Bay has the depth been found to 
exceed seventy-five feet ; from which it may be concluded, as 
we have previously stated, that the lake of Socolme is formed 
within the crater of an extinct volcano, its waters having per- 
colated or filtered through from the ojiter lake of Bay. 

From Socolme I took my guests to Los Banos, at the 
foot of a mountain, several thousand feet high, from which 
several springs of boiling water flow into the lake, and, mix- 
ing with its waters, produce every temperature to be desired 
in a natural bath. There also, on the hill, we were sure to 
meet with good and plentiful sport. Wild pigeons and beau- 
tiful doves, perched upon majestic trees, "mistrustful of their 
doom," allowed our sportsmen to approach very near, and they 
never returned from " the baths " without having " bagged " 
plenty of them. 

Upon our appointed days of relaxation from labour, we 
would go into the neighbouring woods, and wage war on the 
monkeys, our harvest's greatest enemies. As soon as a little 
dog, purposely brought up to this mode of warfare, warned us 
by his barkings that marauders were' in sight, we repaired to 
the spot, and then the firing was opened. Fright seized hold 
on the mischievous tribe, every member of which hid itself in 
its tree, and became as invisible as it possibly could. But the 
little dog would not leave his post, while we would turn round 
the tree, and never failed discovering the hidden inmate. 
We then commence the attack, not ceasing until pug was laid 
prostrate. After having made several victims, I sent them to be 
hung up on forks around the sugar-cane fields, as scarecrows 
to those that had escaped ; I, however, always sent the largest 

I 



194 TWENTY TEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

one to Father Miguel, our excellent curate, who was very fond 
of a monkey ragout. 

Sometimes I would take my guests to a distance of several 
days' march, to show them admirable views, cascades, grottoes, 
or those wonders of vegetation produced by the fertile nature 
of the Philippines. 

One day, Mr. Lindsay, the most intrepid traveller I had 
ever known, and who had recently accompanied me to the 
lake of Socolme, proposed to me to go with him to the grotto 
of San-Mateo, a place that several travellers and myself had 
visited more than once, but always in so incomplete a manner, 
that we had only been able to explore a small portion of it. I 
was too well pleased with the proposal not to accept it with 
eagerness ; but this time I resolved that I would not return 
from this expedition, as I had from former ones, without having 
made every possible effort to explore its dimensions and re- 
cesses. Lindsay, Dr. Genu, and my brother, participated 
in my resolution of verifying whether or not there was any 
semblance of truth in what the Indians related concerning 
that grotto ; or if, as I had so often experienced it myself, 
their poetic minds did not create what had never existed. 
Their old Indian traditions attributed to that cavern an im- 
mense extent. There, they would say, are to be seen fairy 
palaces, with which nothing could be compared, and which 
were the residences of fantastical beings. Determined, then, 
on seeing with our own eyes all these wonders, we set out for 
San-Mateo, taking with us an Indian, having with him a crow- 
bar and a couple of pickaxes, to dig us out a way, should we 
have the chance of prolonging our subterraneous walk beyond 
the limits which we all already knew. We also took with us 
a good provision of flambeaus, so necessary to put our project 



EXPEDITION TO SAN-MA.TEO. 



195 




View at Siu-M&tec 



into execution. We arrived early at San-Mateo, and spent the 
remaining part of the day in visiting admirable views and 
situations in the neighbourhood. We also went down into 
the bed of a torrent that takes its source in the mountains, 
and passes through the north side of this district ; there we 
saw several Indians, male and female, all busy in washing the 
sand in search of gold-dust. Their daily produce at this work 
varies from one to ten francs ; this depends on the more or 
less fortunate vein that perchance they fall on. This trade, 
together with the tilling of land — to be equalled by no other in 
fertility — and hewing timber for building, which is to be found 
most plentifully on the neighbouring mountains, is all the 
wealth of the inhabitants, who, in most part, live in abundance 
and prosperity. 



196 TWENTY YEABS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

At the next day's dawn we were on our way to the grotto, 
which is about two hours' walk from the village. The roadj 
which is bordered by nature's most beautiful productions in 
vegetation, traverses the finest rice plantations, and is of most 
easy access ; however, about half-way, it suddenly becomes 
dangerous and even difficult. Here we leave the cultivated 
fields, and follow along the banks of the river, which flows in 
the midst of not very high mountains, and has so many bends, 
twistings, and meanderings, that, in order to cross it, it is ne- 
cessary at almost every moment to have recourse to swimming, 
and then to take the narrow paths leading from its margin. 
Nothing, until at a very short distance from the grotto, inter- 
rupts the monotony of these rural sites and situations. The 
traveller plods his way through a gorge, or ravine, where upon 
all sides the view is bounded by rocks, and a long line of ver- 
dant vegetation, composed of the shrubs that cover the hills. 
But through a vast winding, or rather turning, made by the river, 
the eye is suddenly dazzled by the splendid panorama that seems 
to develop itself and move on with fairy magnificence. Let 
the reader imagine that he is standing at the base of two im- 
mense mountains, resembling two pyramids in their form, both 
equally alike and similar in height. The space that intervenes 
between them allows the eye to plunge into the distance, and 
to discover there a tableau, a picture, or view, which is im- 
possible to be described. Between the two monster mountains 
the river has found an issue, and there the traveller beholds 
it at his feet, precipitating itself like an impetuous torrent in 
the midst of white marble rocks. The water, both limpid 
and glossy, seems to play with every object that impedes its 
course ; at one moment it will form a noisy cascade, and then 
suddenly disappear at the foot of an enormous rock, and soon 



DESCBIPTIOIS OF THE GEOTTO, J 97 

after appear again, bubbling and foaming, just as if some 
supernatural strength bad worked it from the bowels of the 
earth. Farther on, and in forming itself into a continuous 
number of minor cascades, this same river flows, with a vast 
silvery surface, over a bed of marble, as white and as brilliant 
as alabaster, and falls upon others of still equal whiteness. 
ITinally, after having passed over all difficulties, all dangers, it 
flows with much more modesty over a humble bed, where 
may be seen the reflection of the admirable vegetation its 
banks are embellished with. 

The famous grotto is situated in the mountain on the right 
side of the river, which the traveller crosses over by jumping 
from one block of marble to another ; and then, after having 
ascended a steep height of about two hundred yards, he finds 
himself at the entrance to the grotto, whither I shall conduct 
the reader step by step. 

The entrance, the form of which is almost regular, repre- 
sents pretty well tbe portico of a church, with a full arch, 
adorned with verdant festoons, composed of creeping plants 
and bind-weeds. When the visitor has once passed under the 
portico he enters into a large and spacious hall, studded with 
stalactites of a very yellowish colour, and there a dense crowd 
of bats, frightened by the light of the torches, fly out with 
great noise and precipitation. For about a hundred paces, in 
advancing towards the interior, the vault continues to be very 
lofty, and the gallery is spacious ; but suddenly the former de 
clines immensely, and the latter becomes so narrow that it 
scarce admits of a passage for one man, who is obliged to crawl 
on his hands and knees to pass through, and continue in this 
painful position for about a hundred yards. And now the 
gallery becomes wide again, and the vault rises several feet 



198 TWENTY TEABS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

high. But here, again, a new diflScultj soon presents itself, 
and which must be overcome ; a sort of wall, three or four yards 
high, must be climbed over, and immediately behind which 
lies a most dangerous subterraneous place, where two enormous 
precipices, with open mouths on a level with the ground, seem 
ready to swallow up the imprudent traveller, who, although he 
have his torch lighted, would not walk, step by step, and with 
the greatest precaution, through this gloomy labyrinth. A 
few stones thrown into these gulfs attest, by the hollow noise 
produced by their falling to the bottom, that they are several 
hundred feet deep. Then the gallery, which is still wide 
and spacious, runs on without presenting anything remarkable 
till the visitor arrives on the spot where the last researches 
stopped at. Here it seems to terminate by a sort of rotunda, 
surrounded by stalactites of divers forms, and which, in one 
part, represents a real dome supported by columns. This 
dome looks over a small lake, out of which a murmuring 
stream flows continually into the precipices already described. 
It was here that we began our serious investigations, desirous 
of ascertaining if it were possible to prolong this subterraneous 
peregrination. We dived several times into the lake without 
discovering anything favourable to our desires ; we then directed 
our steps to the right, examining all the while, by the light of 
our torches, the smallest gaps to be seen in the sides of the 
gallery, when at last, after many unsuccessful attempts, we 
discovered a hole through which a man's arm could scarcely 
pass. By introducing a torch into it, how great was our sur- 
prise to see within it an immense space, studded with rock- 
crystal. I need not add that such a discovery inspired us with 
the greatest desire of more closely examining that which we had 
but an imperfect view of. We therefore set our Indian to work 



DISCOVERIES MIEACULOUS ESCAPE. 199 

with his pick-axe, to widen the hole and make a passage for us ; 
his labour went on slowly, he struck his blows gently and cau- 
tiously, SO as to avoid a falling-in of the rock, which would 
not only have marred our hopes, but would, besides, have 
caused a great disaster. The vault of rocks suspended over 
our heads might bury us all alive, and, as will be seen by the 
sequel, the precautions we had taken were not fruitless. At 
the very moment when our hopes were about to be realised, 
— the aperture being now wide enough to admit of us passing 
through it — suddenly, and above our heads, we heard a hollow 
prolonged rustling noise that froze us to death ; the vault had 
been shaken, and we dreaded its falling upon us. For a 
moment, which seemed to us, however, very long, we were all 
terrified ; the Indian himself was standing as motionless as a 
statue, with his hands upon the handle of his pick-axe, just in 
the same position as he was when he gave his last blow. 
After a moment's solemn silence, when our fright had a little 
subsided, we began to examine the nature of the danger we had 
just escaped. Above our heads a long and wide split ran along 
the vault to a distance of several yards, and, at the place where 
it stopped, an enormous rock, detached from the dome, had been 
most prov'identially impeded in its fall downwards by one of the 
columns, which, acting as a sort of buttress, kept it suspended 
over the opening we had just made. Having, after mature 
examination, ascertained that the column and the rock were 
pretty solid, like rash men, accustomed to daunt all danger 
and surmount any sort of obstacle and difl&culty, we resolved 
upon gliding one by one into the dangerous yawning. Dr. 
Genu, who till then had kept a profound silence, on hearing 
of our resolution was suddenly seized with such a panic fear 
that he recovered his voice, imploring and begging of us to 



200 TVVKNTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

take him out of the cavern ; and, as if he had been suddenly 
seized with a sort of vertigo, he told us, with interrupted accents, 
that he could not breathe — that he felt himself as if he were 
smothering — that his heart was beating so violently, were he 
to stay any longer amidst the dangers we were running he was 
certain of dying from the effects of a rupture of the heart. 
He offered all he possessed on earth to him who would save his 
life, and with clasped hands he supplicated our Indians not 
to forsake him, but to guide him out of the place. We there- 
fore took compassion upon his state of mind, and allowed the 
Indian to guide him out ; but as soon as the latter returned, 
and having ascertained during his absence that neither the 
rocky fragment nor the column had stirred, but which had been 
the momentary cause of our alarm, we put our project into 
execution, and like serpents, one after the other, we crawled 
into the dangerous opening, which was scarcely large enough 
for our passing through. We soon ceased thinking of our past 
dangers, nor did our present imprudence much pre-occupy our 
minds, all our attention being entirely absorbed by what pre- 
sented itself to our ra\ished eyes. Here we were in the midst 
of a saloon wearing a most fairy aspect, and, by the light of our 
torches, the vault, the floor, and the wall were shining and 
dazzling, as if they had been covered over with the most 
admirably transparent rock-crystal. Even in some places did 
the hand of man seem to have presided over the ornamenting 
of this enchanted palace. Numberless stalactites and stalag- 
mites, as pellucid as the limpid stream that has just been seized 
by the frost, assumed here and there the most fantastic forms 
and shapes — they represented brilliant draperies, rows of 
columns, lustres, and chandeliers. At one end, close to the 
wall, was to be seen an altar, with steps leading up to it, and 



MAGNIFICKNCE OF THE INTEBIOB OF THE GROTTO. 201 

which seemed to be in expectation of the priest to celebrate 
divine service. It would be impossible for my pen to describe 
everything that transported us with joy, and drew forth our 
admiration ; we really imagined ourselves to be in one of the 
Arabian Nights' palaces, and the Indians themselves were far 
from guessing the one-half of the wonders we had just dis 
covered. 

Having left this dazzling palace, we continued our under- 
ground ramble, penetrating more and more into the bowels of 
the earth, following step by step a winding labyrinth, but which 
for a whole half-league offered nothing remarkable to our view, 
except now and then the sight of the very great dangers our 
undauntable curiosity urged us on to. In certain parts the 
vault no longer presented the aspect of being as solid as stone, 
earth alone seemed to be its component parts ; and here and 
there, recent proofs of falling-in showed us that still more 
considerable ones might take place, and cut off from us all 
means of retreat. Nevertheless we pushed on still, far beyond 
our present adventurous discovery, and at last arrived at a new, 
magnificent, and extensive space, all bespangled, like the first, 
vpith brilliant stalactites, and in no way inferior to the former in 
the gorgeous beauty of its details. Here again we gave our- 
selves up to the most minute examination of the many wonders 
surrounding us, and which shone like prisms by the light of 
our' torches. We gathered from off the ground several small 
stalagmites, as large and as round as hazel-nuts, and so like 
that fruit, when preserved, that some days later, at a ball at 
Manilla, we presented some of them to the ladies, whose first 
movement was to put them to their mouth ; but soon finding 
out their mistake, they entreated to be allowed to keep them, 
to have them, as they said, converted into ear-ring drops 

T* 



Q03 TWENTY YEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

Having fully enjoyed the beautiful and brilliant spectacle pre- 
sented to our eyes, we now began to feel the effects of hunger 
and fatigue. We had been walking in this subterraneous 
domain to the extent of more than three miles, had taken no 
rest or refreshment since morning, and the day was already far 
advanced. 

1 have often experienced that our moral strength decreases 
in proportion as our physical strength does ; and of course we 
must have been in that state when sinister suppositions took 
possession of our imaginations. One of our party communicated 
to us a reflection he had just made — which was, that a falling- 
in might have taken place between us and the issue from the 
grotto ; or, what appeared still more probable, that the enormous 
rock, that was suspended and buttressed up by the column, 
might have fallen down, and thus bar up all passage through 
the hole we had so rashly made. Had such a misfortune 
happened to us, what a horrible situation we should have been 
in ! We could hope for no help from without, even from our 
friend Genu, who, as we had witnessed, had been so upset by 
fear ; so that, rather than suffer the anguish and die the death 
of the wretch buried alive in a sepulchre, our poignards must 
have been our last resource. 

All these reflections, which we analysed and commented 
upon, one by one, made us resolve upon returning, and leaving 
to others, more imprudent than ourselves, if any there be, the 
care of exploring the space we had still to travel over. We 
soon got over the ground that separated us from the place we 
had most to dread. Providence had favoured and protected 
us — the large fragment of rock, that object of all our fears, was 
still propped up. One after the other did we squeeze ourselves 
through the narrow opening, avoiding as much as possible the 



IMPRUDENCE OF OUR INDIAN — EETUIiN. 203 

least friction, till at last we had all passed through. Joyous 
indeed were we on seeing ourselves out of danger after so 
perilous an enterprise, and we were already beginning to direct 
our steps towards the outlet of the cavern, when suddenly a 
hollow, prolonged noise, and below our feet a rapid trembling 
excited once more all our fears. But those fears were soon 
calmed by our Indian, who came running towards us at full 
speed, brandishing in his hand his pick-axe. The impru- 
dent fellow, unwilling to sacrifice it, had waited till we were 
some paces distant, and then pulling it to him most forcibly, 
while all the while he took good care to keep quickly moving 
away, when thanks to Providence, or to his own nimbleness, 
he was not crushed to atoms by the fragment of the rock, 
which, being no longer buttressed up by the column that had 
been shaken, had fallen to the ground, completely stopping up 
the issue through which we had passed one after the other : 
so that no doubt no one, after us, will be able to penetrate 
into the beautiful part of that grotto which we had just 
passed through so fortunately. After this last episode we 
no longer hesitated in returning, and it was with great delight 
that we beheld once more the great luminary of the world, and 
found our friend Genu sitting upon a block of marble, reflect- 
ing on our long absence, and, at the same time, on our un- 
qualifiable temerity. 




Dumont d'Umlle. 



CHAPTEK X. 



Damont d'Urville — Eear-Admiral Laplace : Desertion of Sailors fi-om his Ship— 
I recover them for him — Origin of the Inhabitants of the Philippine Islands 
— Their General Disposition — Hospitality and Respect tor Old Age — Tagal 
MaiTiage Ceremony — Indian Legal Eloquence — Explanation of the Matri- 
monial Speeches — The Caymtms, or Alligators — Instances of their Ferocit}- — 
Imprudenre and Death of my Shepherd — Method of entrapping the Monster 
which had devoured him — We Attack and eventually Capture it — Its Dniien 
sions — We Dissect and Examine the Contents of its Stomach — Boa-Con- 
strictors — Their large size — Attack of a Boa-Constxictor on a Wild Boar — 
We Kill and Skin it — Unsuccessful Attempt to capture a Boa-Constrictor 
alive — A M;in Devomed — Dangerous 'Wuomous Eeptiles. 

T SHALL perlaaps be accused of exaggeration for ■what I say 
of tlie eujoyments and emotions of my existence at Jala- Jala : 
nevertheless I adhere to the strict truth, and it would be very 
easy for me to cite the names of many persons in support of 
the truth of all my narrative. Moreover, the various tra- 
vellers who have spent some time at my habitation have 
published, in their works, the tableau or recital of my existence 



DESERTION OF SEAMEN AT MANILLA. 205 

in the midst of my dear Indians, who were all so devoted to me. 
Among other works, I shall cite "The Voyage Bound the 
World," by the unfortunate Dumont d'Urville ; and that of 
Rear-Admiral Laplace, in each of which works will he found 
a special article dedicated to Jala- Jala.* 

Since T have named M. Laplace, I shall here relate a little 
anecdote of which he was the hero, and which will show to 
what a degree my influence was generally considered and 
looked up to in the province of Lagune. 

Sevei^al sailors, belonging to the crew of the frigate com- 
manded by M. Laplace, had deserted at Manilla, and, notwith- 
standing all the searches that the Spanish government had 
caused to be made, it was found impossible to discover the 
hiding-place of five of them. M. Laplace coming to pay a few 
weeks' visit to my little domain, the governor said to him : " If 
you wish to find out your men you have only to apply to 
M. Gironiere — no one will discover them if he do not; 
convey to him my orders io set out immediately in pursuit of 
them." 

On arriving at my habitation M. Laplace communicated to 
me this order, but I was too independent to think of executing 
it : my business and occupation had nothing to do with deserters. 
A few days afterwards a captain, accompanied by about a hundred 
soldiers, under his orders, arrived at Jala- Jala, to inform M 
Laplace that he had scoured the province without being able 
to obtain the least news of the deserters, whom he had been 
looking after for the last fortnight ; at which news M. Laplace 
was very much grieved, an^ coming to me, said : " M. de la 
Gironiere, I perceive I shall be obliged to sail without the 
hands that have deserted, if you yourself will not look after 

* See Appendix III. and IV. • 



206 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

them. I therefore beg and beseech of you to sacrifice a little 
of your time, and render me that important service." 

This entreaty was no order : it was a prayer, a supplication, 
that was addressed to me, consequently I took but little time 
to reply as follows: "Commander, in one hour hence I shall 
be on my way, and before forty-eight hours are expired you 
shall have your men here." 

" Oh ! take care," replied he ; " mind, you have to do with 
more than rough fellows : do not therefore expose your life, 
and should they perchance make any resistance, give them no 
quarter, but fire on them." 

A few minutes afterwards, accompanied by my faithful 
lieutenant and one soldier, I crossed over the lake, and went 
in the direction where I thought that the French sailors had 
taken refuge. I was soon on their track ; and on the second 
day afterwards I fulfilled the promise I had made Com- 
mander Laplace, and delivered up to him his five deserters 
against whom I had been obliged to employ neither violence 
nor fire-arms. 

I have already had the occasion of speaking about the 
Tagalocs, and describing their disposition. However, I have not 
yet entered into the necessary details to make well known a popu- 
lation so submissive to the Spaniards, and whose primitive origin 
never can be anything but hypothesis — yea, a true problem. 

It is probable, and almost incontestible, that the Philippine 
Islands were primitively peopled by aborigines, a small race of 
negroes still inhabiting the interior of the forests in pretty large 
numbers, called Ajetas by the Tagalocs, and Negritos by the 
Spaniards. Doubtless at a very distant period the Malays in- 
vaded the shores, and drove the indigenous population into the 
mterior beyond the mountains ; afterwards, whether by accidents 



ABORIGINES OF THE PHILIPPINES. 907 

on sea, or desirous of availing themselves of tbe richness of the 
soil, they were joined by the Chinese, the Japanese, the in- 
habitants of the archipelago of the South Seas, the Javanese, 
and even the Indians. It must not, then, be wondered at, that 
from the mixture proceeding from the union of these various 
people, all of unequal physiognomy, there have risen the differ- 
ent nuances, distinctions and types ; upon which, however, is 
generally depicted Malay physiognomy and cruelty. 

The Tagal is well made, rather tall than otherwise. His hair 
is long, his beard thin, his colour brass-like, yet sometimes in- 
clining to European whiteness ; his eye expanded and vivacious, 
somewhat a la Chinoise ; nose large ; and, true to the Malay race, 
his cheek bones are high and prominent. He is passionately 
fond of dancing and music ; is, when in love, very loving ; cruel 
towards his enemies ; never forgives an act of injustice, and 
ever avenges it with his poignard, which — like the kris with 
the Malays — is his favourite weapon. Whenever he has 
pledged his word in serious business, it is sacred ; he gives 
himself passionately to games of hazard ; he is a good husband, 
a good father; jealous of his wife's honour, but careless of his 
daughter's ; who, despite any little faux-pas, meets with no 
aifficulty in getting a husband. 

The Tagal is of very sober habits : all he requires is water, 
a little rice, and salt-fish. In his estimation an aged man is 
an object of great veneration ; and where there exists a family 
of them in all periods of life, the youngest is naturally most 
subservient to the eldest. 

The Tagal, like the Arab, is hospitably inclined, without 
any sentiment of egotism, and certainly without any other idea 
than that of relieving suffering humanity : so that when a 
stranger appears before an Indian hut at meal-time, were the 



g08 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 




A Tagal Indian Dwelling. 

poor Indian only to have what was strictly necessary for his 
family, it is his greatest pleasure to invite and press the stranger 
to take a place at his humble board, and partake of his family 
cheer. When an old man, whose days are dwindling to the 
shortest span, can work no longer, he is sure to find a refuge, 
an asylum, a home, at a neighbour's, where he is looked upon 
as one of the fiimily. There he may remain till he is called 
to " that bourne from whence no traveller returns." 

Amongst the Tagals the marriage ceremony is somewhat 
peculiar. It is preceded by two other ceremonies, the first 
of which is called Tain manoc, Tagal words, signifying 
or meaning " the cock looking after his hen." Therefore, 
when once a young man has informed his father and mother 
that he has a predeliction for a young Indian girl, his 



'J'AGAL MARRIAGE CEREMONY. 



209 




Tioimg Tagal ludian and his Betrothed- 



parents pay a visit to tlie young girl's parents upon some fine 
evening, and after some very ordinary chat the mamma of the 
young man offers a piaster to the mamma of the young lady. 
Should the future mother-in-law accept, the young lover is 
admitted, and then his future mother-in-law is sure to go and 
spend the very same piaster in betel and cocoa-wine. During 
the greater portion of the night the whole company assem- 
bled upon the occasion chews betel, drinks cocoa-wine, and 
discusses upon all other subjects but marriage. The young 
men never make their appearance till the piaster has been ac- 
cepted, because in that case they look upon it as being the 
first and most essential step towards their marriage. 



glO TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINEfif. 

On the next day the young man pays a visit to the mother; 
father, and other relatives of his affianced hride. There 
he is received as one of the family; he sleeps there, he 
lodges there, takes a part in all the labours, and most particu- 
larly in those labours depending upon the young maid's super- 
intendence. He now undertakes a service or task that lasts, 
more or less, two, three, or four years, during which time he 
must look well to himself ; for if anything be found out against 
him he is discarded, and never more can pretend to the hand 
of her he would espouse. 

The Spaniards did their best to suppress this custom, on 
account of the inconveniencies it entailed. Very often the 
father of a young girl, in order to keep in his service a man 
who cost him nothing, keeps on this state of servitude indefi- 
nitely, and sometimes dismisses him who has served him for 
two or three years, and takes another under the same title of 
pretendant, or lover. But it also frequently happens that if the 
two lovers grow impatient for the celebration of the marriage 
ceremony — for " hope deferred maketh the heart sick," — some 
day or other the girl takes the young man by the hair, and 
presenting him to the curate of the village, tells him she 
has just run away with her lover, therefore they must be 
married. The wedding ceremony then takes place without 
the consent of the parents. But were the young man to 
carry off the young girl, he would be severely punished, and 
she restored to her family. 

If aU things have passed off in good order, if the lover has 
undergone two or three years of voluntary slavery, and if his 
future relations be quite satisfied with his conduct and temper, 
then comes the day of the second ceremony, called Tajin-bojol, 
" the young man desirous of tying the union knot." 



INDIAN liEGAL ELOQUENCE 211 

This second ceremony is a grand festival-day. The rela- 
tions and friends of both families are all assembled at the 
bride's house, and divided into two camps, each of which dis- 
cusses the interests of the young couple ; but each family has 
an advocate, who alone has the right to speak in favour of his 
client. The relations have no right to speak ; they only make, 
in a low tone of voice, to their advocate, the observations they 
think fit. 

The Indian woman never brings a marriage portion with 
her. When she takes a husband unto herself she possesses 
nothing ; the young man alone brings the portion, and this 
is why the young girl's advocate speaks first, and asks for it, in 
order to settle the basis of the treaty. 

I will here set before my readers the speeches of two advo- 
cates in a ceremony of this kind, at which I had the curiosity 
to be present. In order not to wound the susceptibility of the 
parties, the advocates never speak but in allegorical terms, and 
at the ceremony which I honoured with my presence the advocate 
of the young Indian girl thus began : — 

" A young man and a young girl were joined together in 
the holy bands of wedlock ; they possesed nothing — nay, they 
had not even a shelter. For several years the young woman 
was very badly off. At last her misfortunes came to an end, 
and one day she found herself in a fine lai-ge cottage that 
was her own. She became the mother of a pretty little 
babe, a girl, and on the day of her confinement there appeared 
unto her an angel, who said to her : — ' Bear in mind thy mar- 
riage, and the time of penury thou didst go through. The 
child that has just been born unto thee will I take under my 
protection. When she will have grown up and be a fine lass, 
give her but to him who will build her up a temple, where 



S13 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

there ■will be ten columns, eacli composed of ten stones. If 
thou dost not execute these my orders thy daughter will he as 
miserable as thou hast been thyself.'" 

After this short speech, the adverse advocate replied: — 
•' Once upon a time there lived a queen, whose kingdom lay on 
the sea-side. Amongst the laws of her realm there was one 
which she followed with the greatest rigour. Every ship 
arriving in her states' harbour could, according to that law, 
cast anchor but at one hundred fathoms deep, and he who 
violated the said law was put to death without pity or remorse. 
Now it came to pass one day that a brave captain of a ship 
was surprised by a dreadful tempest, and after many fruitless 
endeavours to save his vessel, he was obliged to put into the 
queen's harbour, and cast anchor there, although his cable was 
only eighty fathoms long, for he preferred death on the scaffold 
to the loss of his ship and crew. The enraged queen com 
manded him to her audit chamber. He obeyed, and throwing 
himself at her feet, told her that necessity alone had compelled 
him to infringe upon the laws, and that, having but eighty 
fathoms long, he could not possibly cast out a hundred, so 
he besought her most graciously to pardon him." 

And here ended his speech, but the other advocate took it 
up, and thus went on : — 

" The queen, moved to pity by the prayer of the suppliant 
captain, and his inability to cast his anchor one hundred 
fathoms deep, instantly pardoned him, and well did she devise." 

On hearing these last words joy shone upon every counte- 
nance, and the musicians began playing on the guitar. The 
bride and bridegroom, who had been waiting in an adjoining 
chamber, now made their appearance. The young man toois 
from off his neck his rosary, or string of beads, put it round 



expJjAnation of the speeches. 213 

tlie young girl's neck, and took back hers in lieu of the one 
he had given her. The night was spent in dancing and merri- 
ment, and the marriage ceremony— just as Christian-like as our 
own — was arranged to take place in a -week. 

I shall now, just as I heard it myself, give the explanation 
of the advocates' speeches, which I did not entirely understand. 
The bride's mother had married without a wedding portion 
on her husband's side, so she had gone through very adverse 
and pinching circumstances. The temple that the angel had 
told her to demand for her daughter was, a house ; and the 
ten columns, composed of ten stones each, signified that "with 
the house a sum of one hundred piasters would be requisite — 
that is, twenty pounds sterling. 

The speech of the young man's advocate explained that he 
would give the house, as he said nothing about it ; but, being 
worth only eighty piasters, he threw himself at the feet of the 
parents of his betrothed, that the twenty piasters which he 
was minus, might offer no obstacle to his marriage. The 
pardon accorded by the queen signified the grace shown to the 
young man, who was accepted with his eighty piasters only. 

The servitude which precedes matrimony, and of which I 
have spoken, was practised long before the conquest of these 
isles by the Spaniards. This would seem to prove the origin 
I attribute to the Tagalocs, whom I believe to be descended 
from the Malays, and these latter, being all Mussulmans, 
would naturally have preserved some of the ancient patriarchal 
customs. 

Believing that I have sufficiently described the Indians 
and their habits, I will now introduce to my readers two 
species of monsters that I have often had occasion to observe, 
and even to combat — the one a denizen of forests, the boa con- 



214 TWENTY YEABS IN THE PHILIPPINES 

stricter ; the other of lakes and rivers, the cayman or alligator. 
At the period at which I first occupied my habitation, and 
began to colonise the village of Jala-Jala, caymans abounded 
on that side of the lake. ' From my windows I daily saw them 
sporting in the water, and waylaying and snapping at the dogs 
that ventured too near the brink. One day, a female servant 
of my wife's, having been so imprudent as to bathe at the edge 
of the lake, was surprised by one of them, a monster of enor- 
mous size. One of my guards came up at the moment she 
was being carried off; he fired his musket at the brute, and hit 
it under the fore-leg, or arm-pit, which is the only vulnerable 
part. But the wound was insufficient to check the cayman's 
progress, and it disappeared with its prey. Nevertheless, this 
little bullet hole was the cause of its death ; and here it is to 
be observed, that the slightest wound received by the cayman is 
incurable. The shrimps which abound in the lake get into 
the orifice, gradually their number increases, until at last they 
penetrate deep into the solid flesh, and into the very interior of 
the body. This is what happened to the one which devoured 
my wife's maid. A month after the frightful occurrence the 
cayman was found dead upon the bank, five or six leagues 
from my house. Some Indians brought back to me the unfor- 
tunate woman's earrings, which they had found in the monster's 
stomach. 

Upon another occasion, a Chinese was riding onwards in 
advance of me. We reached a river, and I let him go on 
alone, in order to ascertain whether the river was very deep 
or not. Suddenly, three or four caymans which lay in wait- 
ing under the water, threw themselves upon him ; horse and 
rider disappeared, and for some minutes afterwards the water 
was tinsed with blood. 



FEROCITY OF THE CAYMANS. 815 

I was curious to obtain a near view of one of these voracious 
animals, and, at the time when they frequented the vicinity of 
my house, I made several attempts to accomplish my wishes. 
One night I baited a huge hook, secured by a chain and strong 
cord, with an entire sheep. Next morning, sheep and chain 
had disappeared. I lay in wait for the creatures with my gun, 
but the bullets rebounded, half flattened upon their scales, 
without doing the slightest injury. One evening that a large 
dog of mine had died, belonging to a race peculiar to the 
Philippines, and exceeding in size any of the canine species of 
Europe, I had his carcass dragged to the shore of the lake, 
and hid myself in a little thicket, with my gun ready cocked, 
in the event of any cayman presenting itself to carry off the 
bait. Presently I fell asleep ; when I awoke, the dog had dis- 
appeared, the cayman, lucidly for me, not mistaking his prey. 

In the course of a few years' time, these monsters had dis- 
appeared from the environs of Jala-Jala ; but one morning^ 
when out with my shepherds, at some leagues' distance from 
my house, we came to a river, which could only be crossed by 
swimming. One of my people said to me : 

" Master, the water is deep here, and we are in the courses 
where the caymans abound ; an accident soon happens, let us 
try further up the river, and pass over in a shallower spot." 

We were about to follow this advice, when another man, more 
rash than his comrades, said : " I'm not afraid of caymans ! " 
and spurred his horse into the stream. He had scarcely got 
half-way across, when we perceived a monstrous cayman rise 
and advance to meet him. We uttered a warning shout, the 
Indian himself perceived the danger, threw himself from his 
horse, and swam for the bank with all his strength. He had 
already reached it, but imprudently stopped behind the tmnk 



316 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

of a tree that had been felled by the force of the current, 
and where he had the water up to his knees. Believing him 
self secure, he drew his cutlass, and watched the movements of 
the cayman, which, meanwhile, had reached the horse just as, 
the Indian quitted the animal. Rearing his enormous head 
out of the water, the monster threw himself upon the steed 
and seized him by the saddle. The horse made a violent 
effort, the girths broke, and thus enabled him to reach the 
shore. Soon, however, finding that his prey had escaped, the 
cayman dropped the saddle, and made towards the Indian. 
We perceived this movement, and quickly cried out: "Run, 
run, or the cayman will have you!" The Indian, however, 
would not stir, but calmly waited, cutlass in hand. The 
monster advanced towards him ; the Indian struck him a blow 
on the head, which took no more effect than a flip of the 
fingers would have on the horns of a bull. The cayman made 
a spring, seized him by one of his thighs, and for more than a 
miimte we beheld my poor shepherd — his body erect above the 
surface of the water, his hands joined, his eyes turned to 
heaven, in the attitude of a man imploring Divine mercy — 
dragged back again into the lake. The drama was over : the 
cayman's stomach was his tomb. During these agonizing 
moments, we all remained silent, but no sooner had my poor 
shepherd disappeared than we all swore to avenge him. 

I caused to be made three nets of strong cords, each of 
of which nets was large enough to form a complete barrier 
across the river. I also had a hut built, and put an Indian to 
live in it, whose duty was to keep constant watch, and to let 
me know as soon as the cayman returned to the river. He 
watched in vain, for upwards of two months, but at the end of 
that time he came and told me that the monster had seized 



ENTEAPPING THE CAYMAN , ^17 

a horse, and had dragged it into the river to devour at leisure. 
I immediately repaired to the spot, accompanied by my guards, 
and by my priest, who positively would see a cayman hunt, 
and by an American friend of mine, Mr. Eussell,* who was 
then staying with me. I had the nets spread at intervals, so 
that the cayman could not escape back into the lake. This 
operation was not effected without some acts of imprudence ; 
thus, for instance, when the nets were arranged, an Indian 
dived to make sure that they were at the bottom, and that our 
enemy could not escape by passing below them. But it might 
very well have happened that the cayman was in the interval 
between the nets, and so have gobbled up my Indian. Fortu- 
nately everything passed off as we wished. When all was 
ready, I launched three pirogues, strongly fastened together, 
side by side, with some Indians in the centre, armed with 
lances, and with long bamboos, with which they could touch 
the bottom. At last, all measures having been taken to attain 
my end, without risk of accident, my indians began to explore 
the river with their long bamboos. 

An animal so formidable in size as the one we were in 
search of, could not hide himself very easily, and soon we be- 
held him on the surface of the river, lashing the water with 
his long tail, snapping and clattering with his jaws, and en- 
deavouring to get at those who disturbed him in his retreat. 
A universal shout of joy greeted his appearance ; the Indians 
in the pirogues hurled their lances at him, whilst we, upon 
either shore of the lake, fired a volley. The bullets rebounded 
from the monster's scales, which they were unable to pene- 
trate ; the keener lances made their way between the scales, 

• Of the house of Eussell and Sturges, a good and true friend, the 
recollection of whom, often present to my mind, will never be effaced. 



218 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

and entered into tlie cayman's body some eight or ten inclies. 
Thereupon he disappeared, swimming with incredible rapidity, 
and reached the first net. The resistance it opposed turned 
him back ; he re-ascended the river, and again appeared on the 
top of the water. This violent movement, broke the staves of 
the lances which the Indians had stuck into him, and the iron 
alone remained in the wounds. Each time that he appeared 
the firing recommenced, and fresh lances were plunged into his 
enormous body. Perceiving, however, how ineffectual fire 
arms were to pierce his cuirass of invulnerable scales, I excited 
him by my shouts and gestures, and when he came to the 
edge of the water, opening his enormous jaws all ready to 
devour me, I approached the muzzle of my gun to within a 
few inches, and fired both barrels, in the hope that the bullets 
would find something softer than scales in the interior of that 
formidable cavern, and that they would penetrate to his brain. 
All was futile. The jaws closed with a terrible noise, seizing 
only the fire and smoke that issued from my gun, and the 
balls flattened against his bones without injuring them. The 
animal, which had now become furious, made inconceivable 
efforts to seize one of his enemies; his strength seemed to 
increase, rather than to diminish, whilst our resources were 
nearly exhausted. Almost all our lances were sticking in his 
body, and our ammunition drew to an end. The fight had 
lasted more than six hours, without any result that could make 
us hope for its speedy termination, when an Indian struck the 
cayman, whilst at the bottom of the water, with a lance of un- 
usual strength and size. Another Indian, at his comrade's 
request, struck two vigorous blows with a mace upon the but- 
end of the lance ; the iron entered deep into the animal's 
body, and immediately, with a movement as swift as lightning. 



CAPTUEE AND DEATH OF THE MONSTER. 



219 



he darted towards the nets and disappeared. The lance pole, 
detached from the iron head, returned to the surface of the 
water ; for some minutes we waited in vain for the monster's 
re-appearance ; we thought that his last effort had enabled him 
to reach the lake, and that our chase would result fruitlessly. 




Attacking the Cayman. 



We hauled in the first net, a large hole in which convinced 
us that our supposition was correct. The second net was Id 
the same condition as the first. Disheartened by our failure, 
■we were hauling in the third, when we felt a strong resistance. 
Several of the Indians began to drag it towards the bank, 



230 TWENTY YEABS IN THE PHILIPPINES, 

and presently, to our great joy, we saw the cayman upon the 
surface of the water. He was expiring. We threw over him 
several lassos of strong cords, and when he was well secured, 
we drew him to land. It was no easy matter to haul him 
up on the bank ; the strength of forty Indians hardly sufficed. 
When at last we had got him completely out of the water, and 
had him before our eyes, we stood stupified with astonish- 
ment, for it was a very different thing to see his body thus 
and to see him swimming, when he was fighting against us 
Mr. Eussell, a very competent person, was charged with his 
measurements. From the extremity of his nostrils to the tip 
of his tail, he was found to be twenty -seven feet long, and his 
circumference was eleven feet, measured under the arm-pits. 
His belly was much more voluminous, but we thought it 
unnecessary to measure him there, judging that the horse upon 
which he had breakfasted must considerably have increased 
his bulk. 

This process at an end, we took counsel as to what we should 
do with the dead cayman. Every one gave his opinion. My 
wish was to convey it bodily to my residence, but that was 
impossible ; it would have required a vessel of five or six tons 
burthen, and we could not procure such a craft. One man 
wanted the skin, the Indians begged for the flesh, to dry it, 
and use it as a specific against asthma. They affirm, that any 
asthmatic person who nourishes himself for a certain time 
with this flesh, is infallibly cured. Somebody else desired to 
have the fat, as an antidote to rheumatic pains ; and, finally, 
my worthy priest demanded that the stomach should be opened, 
in order to ascertain how many Christians the monster had 
devoured. Every time, he said, that a cayman eats a Chris- 
Han he swallows a large pebble ; thus, the number of pebbles 



DISSKCTION AND CONTENTS OF ITS STOMACH. 291 

we should find in him would positively indicate the number of 
the faithful to whom his enormous stomach had afforded sepul- 
ture. To satisfy everybody, I sent for an axe wherewith, to 
cut off the head, which I reserved for myself, abandoning the 
rest of the carcass to all who had taken part in the capture. It 
was no easy matter to decapitate the monster. The axe buried 
itself in the flesh to half-way up the handle without reaching the 
bones ; at last, after many efforts, we succeeded in getting the 
head off. Then we opened the stomach, and took out of it, by 
fragments, the horse which had been devoured by the monster 
that morning. The cayman does not masticate, he snaps off 
a huge lump with his teeth, and swallows it entire. Thus we 
found the whole of the horse, divided only into seven or eight 
pieces. Then we came to about a hundred and fifty pounds' 
weigbt of pebbles, varying from the size of a fist to that of 
a walnut. When my priest saw this great quantity of stones : 

" It is a mere tale," he could not help saying; "it is im- 
possible that this animal could have devoured so great a num- 
ber of Chrstians." 

It was eight o'clock at night when we had finished the cut 
ting up. I left the body to our assistants, and had the head 
placed in a boat to convey it to my house. I very much de- 
sired to preserve this monstrous trophy as nearly as possible in 
the state in which it then was, but that would have required 
a great quantity of arsenical soap, and I was out of that 
chemical. So I made up my mind to dissect it, and preserve 
the skeleton. I weighed it before detaching the ligaments; 
its weight was four hundred and fifty pounds ; its length, from 
the nose to the first vertebras, five feet six inches. 

I found all my bullets, which had become flattened against 
the bones of the jaws and palate as they would have done 



239 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

against a plate of iron. The lance thrust which had slain the 
cayman was a chance — a sort of miracle. When the Indian 
struck with his mace upon the hut-end of the pole, the iron 
pierced through the nape, into the vertebral column, and 
penetrated the spinal marrow, the only vulnerable part. 

When this formidable head was well prepared, and the 
bones dried and whitened, I had the pleasure of presenting 
it to my friend Russell, who has since deposited it in the 
museum at Boston, United States. 

The other monster, of which I have promised a descrip- 
tion, is the boa-constrictor. The species is common in the 
Philippines, but it is rare to meet with a specimen of very 
large dimensions. It is possible, nay probable, that centuries 
of time are necessary for this reptile to attain its largest 
size ; and to such an age, the various accidents to which 
animals are exposed, rarely suffer it to attain. Full-sized 
boas are consequently to be met with only in the gloomiest, 
most remote, and most solitary forests, 

I have seen many boas of ordinary size, such as are 
found in our European collections. There were some, indeed, 
that iiihabited my house, and one night I found one, two yards 
long, in possession of my bed. Several times, when passing 
through the woods with my Indians, I heard the piercing 
cries of a wild boar. On approaching the spot whence they pro- 
ceeded, we almost invariably found a wild boar, about whose 
body a boa had twisted its folds, and was gradually hoisting 
him up into the tree round which it had coiled itself. 

When the wild boar had reached a certain height, the 
snake pressed him against a tree with a force that crushed 
his bones and stifled him. Then the boa let its prey fall, 
descended the tree, and prepared to swallow it This last 




A WILD BOAK ATTACKED BY A BOA CONSTRICTOR. — Page 222. 



BOA-CONSTEICTORS. 2S3 

operation was mucli too lengthy for us to await its end. To 
simplify matters, I sent a ball into the boa's head. My 
Indians took the flesh to dry it for food, and the skin to make 
dagger sheaths of. It is unnecessary to say that the wild boar was 
not forgotten, although it was a prey that had cost us but little 
trouble to secure. One day an Indian surprised one of these 
reptiles asleep, after it had swallowed an enormous deer. 
Its size was so great, that a buffalo waggon would have been 
necessary to transport it to the village. The Indian cut it 
in pieces, and contented himself with as much as he could carry 
off. Having been informed of this, I sent after the remains, 
and my people brought me a piece about eight feet long, and 
so large in circumference that the skin, when dried, en- 
veloped the tallest man like a cloak. I presented it to my friend 
Hamilton Lindsay. 

I had not yet seen any of these largest sized serpents alive, 
when, one afternoon, crossing the mountains with two of my 
shepherds, our attention^ was drawn to the constant barking 
of my dogs, which seemed to be assailing some auimal that 
stood upon its defence. We at first thought that it was a 
buffalo that they had roused from its lair, and approached the 
spot with due caution. My dogs were dispersed along the 
brink of a deep ravine, in which was an enormous boa con- 
strictor. The monster raised his head to a height of five or 
six feet, directing it from one edge to the other of the ravine, 
and menacing his assailants with his forked tongue ; but the 
dogs, more active than he was, easily avoided his attacks. My 
first impulse was to shoot him ; but then it occurred to me to 
take him alive, and to send him to France. Assuredly he 
would have been the most monstrous boa that had ever been 
seen there. To carry my design into execution we manufactured 



224 



'iWRNT? YEAVIS IN THR PHIUPPINKS. 




Attacking the Boa-Consti'ictor. 



nooses of caue, strong enough to resist the efforts uf the most 
powerful vrild hufFalo. With great precaution "we succeeded 
in passing one of our nooses round the boa's neck ; then we 
tied him tightly to a tree, in such a manner as to keep his head 
at its usual height — about six feet from the ground. This 
done, we crossed to the other side of the ravine, and threw 
another noose over him, which we secured like the first. When 
he felt himself thus fixed at both ends, he coiled and writhed, 
and grappled several little trees which grew within his reach 
along the edge of the ravine. Unluckily for him everything 
yielded to his efforts ; he tore up the young trees by the roots, 



A BOA-CONSTBICTOR DEVOURS A MAN. 225 

broke off the branclies, and dislodged enormous stones, round 
which he sought in vain to obtain the hold or point of resist- 
ance he needed. The nooses were strong, and withstood his 
almost furious efforts. 

To convey an animal like this, several buffaloes and a whole 
system of cordage were necessary. Night approached ; con- 
fident in our nooses, we left the place, proposing to return 
next morning and complete the capture ; but we reckoned 
without our host. In the night the boa changed his tactics, 
got his body round some huge blocks of basalt, and finally 
succeeded. in breaking his bonds and getting clear off. When I 
had assured myself that our prey had escaped us, and that all 
search for the reptile in the neighbourhood would be futile, my 
disappointment was very great, for I much doubted if a like op 
portunity would ever present itself. It is only on rare occasions 
that accidents are caused by these enormous reptiles. I once 
knew of a man becoming their victim. It happened thus : — 

This man having committed some offence, ran away, and 
sought refuge in a cavern. His father, who alone knew the 
place of his concealment, visited him occasionally to supply him 
with food. One day he found, in place of his son, an enor- 
mous boa sleeping. He killed it, and found his son in its 
stomach. The poor wretch had been surprised in the night, 
crushed to death, and swallowed. The curate of the village, who 
had gone in quest of the body to give it burial, and who saw 
the remains of the boa, described them to me as being of an 
almost incredible size. Unfortunately this circumstance hap- 
pened at a considerable distance from my habitation, and I was 
only made acquainted with the particulars when it was too 
late to verify them myself: but still there is nothing sur- 
prising that a boa which can swallow a deer should as easily 



226 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPIMCS. 

swallow a man. Several other feats of a similar nature were 
related to me by the Indians. They told me of their com- 
rades, who, roaming about the woods, had been seized by boas, 
crushed against trees, and afterwards devoured , but I was 
always on my guard against Indian tales, and I am only aiile 
to verify positively the instance, I have just cited, which 
was related to me by the curate of the village, as well as by 
many other witnesses. Still there would be nothing surprising 
that a similar accident should occur more than once. 

The boa is one of the serpents the least to be feared 
among those infesting the Philippines. Of an exceedingly 
venomous description is one which the Indians call dajon-palay, 
(rice leaf). Burning v/ith a red-hot ember is the only antidote 
to its bite ; if that be not promptly resorted to, horrible suf- 
ferings are followed by certain death. The alin-morani is 
another kind, eight or ten feet long, and, if anything, more 
dangerous still than the " rice leaf," inasmuch as its bite is 
deeper, and more difiScult to cauterise. I was never bitten 
by any of these reptiles, despite the slight precaution I observed 
in wandering about the woods, by night as well as by day. 

Twice only I endangered myself: the first time was by 
treading upon a dajon-palay ; I was warned by a movement 
under my foot. I pressed hard with that leg, and saw the 
snake's little head stretching out to bite me on the ankle ; 
fortunately my foot was on him at so short a distance from 
his head that he could not get at me. I drew my dagger, 
and cut off his head. On another occasion, I noticed two 
eagles rising and falling like arrows amongst the bushes, 
always at the same place. Curious to see what kind of animal 
they were attacking, I approached the place ; but no sooner 
had I done so, than an enormous .alin-morani, furious with the 



DANGEEOUS VENEMOUS KEPTILES. 237 

wounds the eagles had inflicted on him, advanced to meet me. 
I retreated ; he coiled himself up, gave a spring, and almost 
caught me on the face. By an instantaneous movement, I made 
a spring backwards, and avoided him ; but I took care not to 
turn my back and run, for then I should have been lost. The 
serpent returned to the charge, bounding towards me; I 
again avoided him, and was trying, but in vain, to reach him 
with my dagger, when an Indian, who perceived me from a 
distance, ran up, armed with a stout switch, and rid me 
of him. 




Bico Stacking m the Philippines 



OHAPTEE XI. 

The Prosperity and Happiness of my Life at Jala-Jala — Destructiveness of the 
Locusts — Agriculture in the Philippines — My Herds of Oxen, Buffaloes, and 
Horses — My Wife presents me with a Daughter, who Dies — The Admiration 
of the Indian Women for my Wife — Birth of my Son — Continued Prosperity 
— Death of my brother Henry — My Friendship with Malvilain — His Mar- 
riage with my eldest Sister — His Premature Death — I take my Wife to 
Manilla — Melancholy Adieus — We Return to Jala-Jala — Death of my Wife 
— My friend Vidie — I determine to Return to France. 



VTEVER was life more actively spent, or more crowded with 



i\ 



emotions, than the time I passed at Jala- Jala, but it suited 



my tastes and my character, and I enjoyed as perfect happi- 



DESTKUCTIVENESS OF THE LOCUSTS. S29 

ness as one can look for when far away from one's home and 
country. My Anna was to me an angel of goodness ; my 
Indians were happy, peace and plenty smiled upon their 
families ; my fields were covered with abundant corps, and my 
pasturages with numerous herds. It was not, however, 
without great difficulty and much toil that I accomplished my 
aim ; how often did I find all my courage and all my philo- 
sophy necessary to face, without despair, reverses which it was 
impossible for me to avoid ? How often did I behold hur- 
ricanes and inundations destroy the fine harvest that I had 
protected with so much labour against the buffaloes, the 
wild boars, the monkeys, and even against an insect more 
destructive still than all the other pests which I have just 
mentioned — the locust, one of the plagues of Egypt, apparently 
transported into this province, and which almost regularly, 
every seven years, leave the isles of the south in clouds, and 
fall upon Luzon, bringing desolation, and often famine. It 
is indeed necessary to have witnessed this desolation to be able 
to form any idea of it. When the locusts arrive, a fire- 
coloured cloud is perceived in the horizon, formed of countless 
myriads of these destructive insects. They fly rapidly, often 
covering, in a closely packed body, a space of two or three 
leagues in diameter, and occupy from five to six consecutive 
hours in passing over head. If they perceive a fine green 
field they pounce down upon it, and in a few minutes all verdure 
has disappeared, the ground is stripped completely bare; 
they then continue their flight elsewhere, bearing on their 
wings destruction and famine. At evening it is in the forests, 
upon the trees, that they take shelter. They hang in such 
dense masses upon the ends of the boughs that they break 
down even the stoutest limbs from the trees. During the night. 



230 TWENTY YEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES 




from the spot wliere they are reposing, there issues a con- 
tinual croaking, and so loud a noise, that one scarcely helieves 
it to be produced by so small an insect. The following 
morning they leave at day -break, and the trees upon which 
they have reposed are left stripped and broken, as though the 
lightning had swept the forest in every direction ; they 
pursue their course elsewhere to commit fresh ravages. At. 
certain periods they remain on vast plains or on fertile moun- 
tains ; where, elongating the extremity of their bodies in the 
form of a gimblet, they pierce the earth to the depth of an 
inch and upwards to deposit their eggs. The operation of 
laying being completed, they leave the ground pierced like a 
sieve, and disappear, for their existence has now reached its 
termination. Three weeks afterwards, however, the eggs open, 
and myriads of young locusts swarm the earth. On the spot 
where they are born, whatever will serve them for food is 
quickly consumed. As soon as they have acquired sufficient 
strength they abandon their birth-place, destroy all kinds of 
vegetation that comes in their way, and direct their course to 
the cultivated fields, which they desolate until the period when 



AGRICULTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES. 231 

their wings appear. They then take flight in order to devas ■ 
tate more distant plantations. 

As may be seen, agriculture in the Philippines presents 
many difficulties, but it also yields results that may be looked 
for in vain in any other country. During the years which are 
exempt from the calamities I have described the earth is covered 
with riches ; every kind of colonial produce is raised in extra- 
ordinary abundance, frequently in. the proportion of eighty to 
one, and on many plantations two crops of the same species 
are harvested in one year. The rich and extensive pasturages 
offer great facilities for raising a large number of cattle, which 
absolutely cost nothing but the trifling wages paid by the pro- 
prietor to a few shepherds. 

Upon my property I possessed three herds — one of three 
thousand head of oxen, another of eight hundred buffaloes, 
and the other of six hundred horses. At that period of the 
year when the rice was harvested, the shepherds explored the 
mountains, and drove these animals to a vast plain at a short 
distance from my dwelling. This plain was covered by these 
three species of domesticated animals, and presented, espe- 
cially to the proprietor, an admirable sight. At night they 
were herded in large cattle-folds, near the village, and on the 
following day a selection was made of the oxen that were fit 
for slaughter, of the horses that were old enough for breaking- 
in, of the buffaloes that were strong enough to be employed 
in working. The herds were then re-driven to the plain, there 
to remain until night. This operation lasted during a fort- 
night, after which time the animals were set at liberty until the 
same period of the following year. When at liberty the herd 
divided itself into bands, and thus roamed about the mountains 
and the valleys they had previously quitted, the only trouble 



232 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

caused to the shepherds being an occasional ramble about the 
spots where the animals tranquilly grazed. 

Around me all was prosperity. My Indians were also happy, 
and entertained towards me a respect and obedience bordering 
on idolatry. My brother gave me every assistance in my 
labours, and when near my beloved Anna I forgot all the toils 
and the contrarieties I had experienced. About this time a 
new source of hope sprung up, which augmented the happiness 
1 enjoyed with her, and made her dearer to me than ever. 
During several months the health of my wife had changed : she 
then found all the symptoms of pregnancy. We had been married 
twelve years, and she had never yet shown any signs of maternity. 
I was so persuaded that we should never have children that 
the derangement of her health was causing me serious un- 
easiness, when one morning as I was going to my work she 
said to me : "I don't feel well to-day, and I wish you to re- 
main with me :" Two hours afterwards, to my great surprise, 
she gave premature birth to a little girl, whose arrival no one 
expected. The infant was born before the due time, and lived 
only one hour, just sufl&cient to receive baptism, which I ad- 
ministered to her. This was the second human being that 
had expired in the house of Jala- Jala; but she was also the first 
that had there first drawn the breath of life. The regret 
which we all experienced from the loss was softened by the 
certainty that my dear Anna might again become a mother, 
under more favourable circumstances. Her health was speedily 
re-established, and she was again gay and beautiful as ever; 
indeed she appeared so handsome, that often Indian women 
came from a long distance for the sole purpose of looking at her. 
They would remain for half-an-hour gazing at her, and after- 
wards returned to their villages, where they gave birth to 



BIRTH OF MY SON. 333 

creatures little resembling the model whlcli they had taken 
such pains to observe, with a confidence approaching to 
simplicity. 

Eventually Anna exhibited new signs of maternity ; her 
pregnancy went through the usual course, and her health 
was not much affected. In- due time she presented me 
with a little boy, weakly and delicate, but full of life. Our 
joy was at the highest, for we possessed that which we had 
so long wished for, and that which alone was in my opinion 
wanting. 

My Indians were delighted with the birth, and for several 
days there was a round of rejoicings at Jala-Jala ; and my 
Anna, although confined to bed, was obliged to receive visits, 
at first from all the women and maidens of the village, and 
afterwards from all the Indians who were fathers of families 
Each brought some little present for the newly born, and the 
cleverest man of them was commissioned to express a com- 
pliment in the name of all ; which comprised their best 
wishes for the happiness of the mother and child, and full 
assurances of the satisfaction they felt in thinking that they 
would one day be ruled over by the son of the master from 
whom they had experienced so much kindness, and who had 
conferred upon them such benefits. Their gratitude was 
sincere. 

The news of the accouchement of my wife brought a very 
numerous party of friends and relations to my house, where 
they waited for the baptism, which took place in my drawing- 
room. Anna, then almost thoroughly well, was present on the 
occasion : my son was named Henry, after his uncle. At this 
time I was happy ; Oh, so truly happy ! for my wishes were 
nearly gratified. There was but one not so — and that was to 



284 TWENTY YEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

see again my aged mother and mj sisters ; but I hoped that 
the time was not far distant when I should reahse the project 
of revisiting my native country. My farming speculation was 
most prosperous : my receipts were every year on the increase ; 
my fields were covered with the richest crops of sugar-canes, to 
the cultivation of which, and of rice, I had joined that of coffee. 
My brother had taken upon himself the management of a very 
large plantation, which promised the most brilliant results; 
and appeared likely to secure the premium which the Spanish 
government had promised to give to the proprietor of a planta- 
tion of eighty thousand feet of coffee in product. But, alas ! 
the period of my happiness had passed away, and what pain 
and what grief was I not doomed to suffer before I again saw 
my native country. 

My brother — my poor Henry — committed some imprudences, 
and was suddenly attacked with an intermittent fever, which in 
a few days carried him off. 

My Anna and I shed abundance of tears, for we both loved 
Henry with the warmest affection. For several years we had 
lived together ; he participated in all our labours, our troubles, 
and our pleasures. He was the only relative I had in the 
Philippines. He had left France, where he had filled an 
honourable position, with the sole object of coming to see 
me, and of aiding me in the great task which I had under- 
taken. His amiable qualities and his excellent heart had 
endeared him to us : his loss was irreparable, and the thought 
that I had no longer a brother added poignancy to my bitter 
grief. Prudent, the youngest, had died at Madagascar ; Eobert, 
the next to me, died at La Planche, near Nantes, in the little 
dwelling where we spent our childhood ; and my poor Henry 
at Jala-Jala I erected a simple tomb for him near the door 



MY FEIENDSHIP WITH MALVILAIN, 235 

of the cliurcli, and for several montlis Jala-Jala was a place of 
grief and mourning. 

We had scarcely begun, not indeed to console ourselves, 
but rather to bear with resignation the loss we had experienced, 
when a new dispensation of fate came to strike me to the 
earth. 

On my arrival in the Philippines, and while I resided at 
Cavite, I formed a close connection with Malvilain, a native of 
St. Malo, and mate of a ship from that port. During several 
years which he spent at Cavite our friendship was most inti- 
mate. A day seldom passed that we did not see each other, 
and two days never, for we were much attached. Our two 
ships were at anchor in the port, not far one from the other. 
One day as I was walking on deck, waiting for a boat to take 
me on board Malvilain's ship, I saw his crew at work in regu- 
lating one of the masts, when a rope suddenly snapped, and 
the mast fell with a frightful crash on the deck, in the midst of 
the men, amongst whom Malvilain was standing. From the 
deck of my own ship I beheld all that passed on that of my 
friend, who I thought was killed or wounded. My feelings 
were worked to the highest pitch of anguish and alarm; I 
could not control myself; I jumped into the water and swam 
to his ship, where I had the pleasure of finding him un- 
injured, although considerably stunned by the danger from 
which he had escaped. Wet as I was from my sea-bath I 
caught him in my arms, and pressed him to my heart; and 
then hastened to afford relief to some of the crew, who had not 
been so fortunate to escape without injury as he had been. 

Another time I was the cause of serious alarm to Malvilain. 
One' day, a mass of black and thick clouds was gathered close 
over the point of Cavite, and a frightful — that is, a tropical — 



936 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

Storm burst. The claps of thunder followed each other from 
minute to minute, and before each clap the lightning, in long 
serpent-like lines of fire, darted from the clouds, and drove on 
to the point of Cavite, where it tore up the ground of the 
little plain situate at the extremity, and near which the ships 
were moored. Notwithstanding the storm I was going to see 
Malvilain, and was almost in the act of placing my foot on the 
deck of his vessel, when the lightning fell into the sea so near 
to me that I lost my breath. Instantly I felt an acute pain in 
the back, as if a burning torch had been laid between my 
shoulders. The pain was so violent, that the moment I re- 
covered myself I uttered a sharp scream. Malvilain, who was 
within a few paces of me, felt very sensibly the electric shock 
which had struck me, and, on hearing my cry, imagined that 
I was dangerously hurt. He rushed towards me and held me 
in his arms until I was able to give every assurance of my 
recovery. The electric fluid had grazed me, but without causing 
any positive injury. 

I have related these two slight anecdotes to show the 
intimacy that subsisted between us, and how I afterwards 
suffered in my dearest affections. 

My existence has to this day, when I write these lines, 
been filled with such extraordinary facts, that I have been 
naturally led to believe that the destiny of man is regulated 
by an order of things which must infallibly be accomplished. 
This idea has had great infiuence over me, and taught me 
to endure all the evils which have afflicted me. Was it, then, 
my destiny which bound me to Malvilain, and bound him to 
me in the same manner ? I have no doubt of it. 

Some days before the terrible scourge of the cholera broke 
out in the Philippines, Malvilain's ship set sail for France 



THE MARRIAGE AND DEATH OF MALVILAIN. 237 

With hearts oppressed with grief we separated, after promising 
each that we should meet again ; but, alas ! fate had ordained 
it otherwise. Malvilain returned home, went to Nantes to 
take the command of a ship, and there became acquainted with 
my eldest sister, and married her. This news, which reached 
me while I resided in Manilla, gave me the greatest satis- 
faction, for if I had had to choose a husband for my dear sister 
Emilie, this marriage was the only one to satisfy the wishes I 
had formed for the happiness of both. 

After his marriage Malvilain continued to sail from the 
port of Nantes. His noble disposition and his accurate know- 
ledge of his duties caused him to be highly esteemed by the 
leading merchants. His affairs were in a state sufficiently 
good as not to require him to expose himself longer to the 
dangers of the sea, and he was on his last voyage, when, at 
the Mauritius, he was attacked by an illness, which carried him 
off, leaving my sister inconsolable, and with three very young 
girls to lament him. - 

This fresh and irreparable loss, the news of which had then 
reached me, added to my grief for the sad death of my poor 
brother. Every calamity seemed to oppress me. After some 
years of happiness I saw, by little and little, disappear from 
this world, the persons on whom I had concentrated my dearest 
affections ; but, alas ! I had not even then reached the term 
of my sorrows, for other and most bitter sufferings were still 
to be passed through. 

I saw with pleasure my boy was enjoying the best health, 
and that he was daily increasing in strength ; and yet I was 
far from being happy, and to the melancholy caused by the 
losses I had experienced was added another most fearful 
alarm. My beloved Anna had never thoroughly recovered 



238 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

after her accouchement, and day by day her health was growing 
weaker. She did not seem aware of her state. Her happi- 
ness at being a mother was so great that she did not think of 
her own condition. 

I had gathered in my sugar-cane crop, which was most 
abundant, and my plantations were finished, when, wishing to 
procure some amusement for my wife, I proposed to go and 
spend some time at the house of her sister Josephine, for 
whom she entertained the warmest affection. She, with great 
pleasure, agreed to do so. We set out with our dear little 
Henry and his nurse, and took up our quarters at the house 
of my brother-in-law, Don Julian Calderon, then residing in a 
pretty country-house on the banks of the river Pasig, half a 
league from Manilla. 

Of the three sisters of my wife, Josephine was the one for 
whom I had the most affection : I loved her as I did my own 
sister. The day of our arrival was one of rejoiciug. All our 
friends at Manilla came to see us, and Anna was so pleased 
in seeing our little Henry admired that her health seemed to 
have improved considerably; but this apparent amelioration 
lasted but a few days, and soon, to my grief, I saw that she was 
growing worse than ever. J sent for the only medical man in 
Manilla in whom I had confidence, my friend Genu. He came 
frequently to see her, and after six weeks of constant attention, 
he advised me to take her back to my residence near the lake, 
where persons attacked with the same malady as my dear 
Anna had often recovered. As she herself wished to return. 
I appointed a day for our departure. A commodious boat, 
with good rowers, was ready for us on the Pasig, at the end of 
my brother in-law's garden ; and a numerous assemblage of our 
friends accompanied us to the water's edge. The moment of 



MELANCHOLY ADIEUS. 



239 




View on the Ri^ 



separation was one of most melanclioly feelings to us all. The 
countenance of each seemed to ask: "Shall we meet again?" 
My sister-in-law Josephine, in a flood of tears, threw herself into 
Anna's arms. I had great difl&culty in separating them ; but we 
were obliged to set out. I took my wife into the boat, and then 
those two sisters, who had always maintained towards each 
other the most tender love, addressed with their voices their 
last adieus, while promising not to be long separated, and 
that they would see each other very soon. 

Those painful adieus and the sufferings of my wife caused 
the trip, which we had often previously made with the greatest 
gaiety, to be melancholy and silent. On our arrival, I did not 
look on Jala-Jala with the usual feelings of satisfaction. I had 
my poor patient placed in bed, and did not quit her room. 



340 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

hoping by my continual care to afford her some relief in her 
sufferings. But, alas ! from day to day the malady made 
fearful progress. I was in despair. I wrote to Josephine, and 
sent a boat to Manilla for her to come and take care of her 
sister, who was most anxious to see her. The boat returned 
without her ; but a letter from kind-hearted Josephine informed 
me that she was herself dangerously ill, and confined to her 
room, and could not even leave her bed ; that she was very sorry 
for it, but I might assure Anna that they would soon be re-united, 
never again to be separated. 

Fifty days — longer to me than a century — had scarcely 
elapsed since our return to Jala-Jala than all my hopes va- 
nished. Death was approaching with rapid strides, and the 
fatal moment was at hand when I was to be separated from 
her whom I loved with such intensity. She preserved her 
senses to the last, and saw my profound melancholy, and 
my^ features altered by grief; and finding her last hour was 
near, she called me to her, and said : " Adieu, my beloved 
Paul, adieu. Console thyself — we shall meet again in Heaven ! 
Preserve thyself for the sake of our dear boy. When I shall 
be no more, return home to thy own country, to see thy aged 
mother. Never marry again, except in France, if thy mother 
requires thee to do so. Do not marry in the Philippines, for 
thou wilt never find a companion here to love thee as I have 
loved." These words were the last which this good and gentle 
angel spoke. The most sacred ties, the tenderest and purest 
union, were then severed — my Anna was no more ! I held her 
lifeless body clasped in my arms, as if I hoped by my caresses 
to recall her to life ; but, alas ! her destiny was decided ! 

It required absolute force to tear me from the precious 
remains which I pressed against my heart, and to draw m. 



MY PROFOUND GRIEF. 341 

into a neighbouring room, where my son was. While 1 
pressed him convulsively to my breast, I ■wished to weep ; but 
my eyes were tearless, and I was insensible to the caresses 
even of my poor child. 

The strongest constitution cannot resist the fatigue of fifty 
days of constant watching and uneasiness ; and the state of 
annihilation in which I was, both physically and morally, after 
despair had taken the place of the glimmering hope which sus- 
tained us to the last moment, was such that I fell into a state 
of insensibility, which ended in a profound sleep. I awoke on 
the following day with my son in my arms. But how frightful 
was my state on awaking. All that was horrible in my position 
presented itself to my imagination. Alas ! she was no more ; 
my adorable companion, that beloved angel and consolatrix, 
who had, on my account, abandoned all — parents, friends, and 
the pleasures of a capital — to shut herself up with me in 
a deserted wilderness, where she was exposed to a thousand 
dangers, and had but me to support her. She was no more ; 
and fatal destiny had torn her from me, to sink me for ever in 
desolation and grief. 

The funeral took place on the following day, and was at- 
tended by every inhabitant of Jala-Jala. Her body was depo- 
sited near the altar in the humble church which I had caused 
to be erected, and before which altar she had so often poured 
forth prayers for my happiness. 

For a long time mourning and consternation reigned in 
Jala-Jala. All my Indians showed the deepest sympathy for 
the loss which they had suffered. Anna was, during her life, 
beloved even to idolatry, and after her death she was most 
sincerely lamented. 

i''or several days I continued in a thorough depression, 



943 TWENTY YEABS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

unable to attend to anything, except to the cares which my 
son, then my only remaining consolation, required. Three 
weeks elapsed before I quitted the room in which my poor wife 
had expired. I then received a note from Josephine, in which 
she stated that her illness had grown worse. The note ended 
with these words: "Come, my dear Paul; come to me: we 
shall weep together. I feel that your presence will afford some 
consolation." 

I did not hesitate to comply with the request of dear 
Josephine, for whom I entertained an affection as if for my 
own sister. My presence might prove a solace to her, and I 
myself felt that it would prove to me a great consolation to see 
a person who had so sincerely loved my Anna. The hope of 
being useful to her re-animated my courage a little. I left my 
house under the care of Prosper Vidie, an excellent friend, who 
during the last days of my wife's life had not quitted me, and 
departed, accompanied by my son. 

After the first emotion which Josephine and I felt on 
meeting, and when we both had shed abundant tears, I exa 
mined her state. It required a strong effort on my part to con 
ceal from her my anxiety, on finding her labouring under a most 
serious malady, and which gave me grounds for fearing that a 
fresh misfortune was not far distant. Alas ! my forebodings 
were correct ; for eight days afterwards poor Josephine expired 
in my arms, after the most poignant sufferings. What abun- 
dant sources of woe in so short a space of time ! It required 
a constitution strong as mine was to bear up against such a 
number of sorrows, and not to fail under the burthen. 

When I had paid the last duties to my sister-in-law I went 
back to Jala-Jala. To me everything was burthensome. 1 
was obliged to betake myself to my forests and to my moua- 



I RESIGN MY GOVERNMENT AT JALA-JAIiA. 243 

tains, in order to recover a little calmness. Some months 
passed over before I could attend to my affairs ; but the last 
wishes of my poor wife required to be fulfilled, and I was to 
quit the Philippines and return to my country. I commenced 
preparations for the purpose. I made over my establishment 
to my friend Vidie, who was, as I considered, the person best 
adapted for carrying out my plans, and for treating my poor 
Indians well. He requested me to stop a little time with 
him, and to show him the secrets of my little government. I 
consented, and the more willingly, as those few months would 
serve to render my son stronger, and better able to support the 
fatigues of a long voyage. I therefore remained at Jala-Jala ; 
but life had become painful to me, and without an object, so 
that it was positively a trouble. There was nothing to distract 
me — nothing to remove the most painful thoughts from me. 
The pretty spots of Jala-Jala, over which I had often looked 
with the greatest pleasure, had become altogether indifferent to 
me. I sought out the most melancholy and silent places. I 
often went to the banks of a rivulet, concealed in the midst of 
high mountains, and shaded by lofty trees. This spot was 
perhaps known to no other person ; and probably no human 
being had ever previously been seated in it. There I gave 
free vent to my bitter recollections — my wife, my brothers, my 
sister-in-law, engrossed my imagination. "When the thought 
of my son drove away these sombre reveries, I returned slowly 
to my house, where 1 found the poor child, who, by his 
caresses, seemed to try to find some way to cause a change in 
my grief ; but they seemed only to recall the time when Anna 
always came to welcome me home, and when, clasping me in 
her arms, she caused me to forget all the toil and trouble I 
met with when absent from her. Alas ! that blissful time had 



344 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

flown away, and was never to return ; and in losing my com- 
panion I lost every happiness. 

My friend Vidie tried every means in his power to rouse 
me. He spoke to me often of France, of my mother, and of the 
consolation I should feel on presenting my son to her. The 
love of my country, and the thought of finding there those 
affections of which I stood so much in need, was a soft balm, 
which lulled for a while the sufferings that were constantly 
vibrating in the bottom of my heart. 

My Indians were deeply afflicted on learning the resolution 
I had taken of quitting them. They showed their trouble by 
saying to me, every time they addressed me ! " Oh, master : 
what will become of us when we shall not see you again ?" I 
quieted them as well as I could, by assuring them that Vidie 
would exert himself for their welfare ; that when my son 
should be grown up, I would come back with him and then 
never leave them. They answered me with their prayers : 
" May God grant it, master ! But what a long time we shall 
have to pass without seeing you ! However, we shall not 
forget you " 




Ajetas Indii 



CHAPTEE XII. 



My friend Adolphe Ban-ot visits me at Jala-Jala — The Bamboo Cane — The Cocoa- 
Nut Tree — The Banana — Majestic Forests of Gigantic Trees — The Leeches 
— A Tropical Storm in a Forest — An Indian Bridge — " Bernard the Hermit" — 
We arrive at Binangon-de-Lampon — The Ajetas — Veneration of the Ajetas for 
their Dead — Poison used by the Ajetas — I carry away a Skeleton— We Embark 
on the Pacific in an old Canoe, reach Maoban, and ultimately arrive at Jala-Jala. 

A T this epoch of mj recollections, in the midst of my 
-^ melancholy and of my troubles, I formed an intimate and 
enduring friendship with a compatriot, a good and excellent 
man. for whom I always preserve the attachment first formed 



S46 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

in a foreign country, several thousand leagues from home. I 
now speak of Adolphe Barrot, who was sent as consul-general 
to Manilla. He came with several friends to spend some days 
at Jala-Jala. Being unwilling that he should suffer any un- 
pleasantness from the state of my feelings, I endeavoured to 
render his stay at Jala-Jala as agreeable as in my power. I 
arranged several hunting and shooting parties, and excursions 
through the mountains and on the lake. For his sake I re- 
sumed my old mode of life, such as I had been used to before I 
was overwhelmed by misfortune. 

The days which I thus spent in company with Adolphe 
Barrot aroused within me my former taste for exercise, and my 
ruling passion for adventure. My friend Vidie — always with 
the intention of exciting me to action — pressed me very much 
to go and visit a certain class of the natives which I had 
often expressed a wish to examine. My affairs being almost 
regulated ; my son being placed under his care, and that of his 
nurse, and of a housekeeper in whom I had every confidence ; I 
was induced, by this feeling of security, and by the instances of 
my friend, to proceed to visit the district of the Ajetas, or Black- 
men, who were a wild race, altogether in a state of nature. 
They were the aborigines of the Philippines, and had for 
a long time been masters of Luzon At a time not very far dis- 
tant, when the Spaniards conquered the country, the Ajetas 
levied a kind of black-mail from the Tagalese villages situated 
on the banks of the lake of Bay. At a fixed period they 
quitted their forests, entered the villages, and forced the inha- 
bitants to give them a certain quantity of rice and maize ; and 
if the Tagalese refused or were unable to pay these contribu- 
tions, they cut off a number of heads, which they carried away 
as trophies for their barbarian festivities. After the conquest 



WE START TO VISIT THE AJETAS. 347 

of the Philippines by the Spaniards, the latter took upon them- 
selves the defence of the Tagalese, and the Ajetas, terrified by 
their fire-arms, remained in the forests, and did not re-appear 
among the Indians. 

The same race is found in various parts of the Malay 
country ; and the people of New Zealand — the Paponins — re- 
semble them very much in form and colour. 

My intention was to pass some days amongst those wild 
savages, and our preparations were speedily made. I chose two 
of my best Indians to accompany me. It is not requisite to state 
that my lieutenant was one of the party, for he was always with 
me in all my perilous expeditions. 

We took each of us a small haversack, containing rice for 
three or four days, some dried venison, a good provision of 
powder, ball, and shot for game, some coloured handkerchiefs, 
and a considerable quantity of cigars for our own use, and to 
insure a welcome amongst the Ajetas. Each of us carried a 
good double-barreled gun and his poignard. Our clothes were 
those which we wore in all our expeditions, — on our heads the 
common salacote, a shirt of raw silk, the pantaloon turned up to 
above the knee ; the feet and legs remained uncovered. With 
these simple preparations we set out on a trip of some weeks, 
during which, and from the second day of our starting, we could 
expect no shelter but the trees of the forest, and no food but 
the game we shot, and the edible parts of the palm tree. 

I took special care not to forget the vade mecum which I 
always took with me, whenever I made these excursions for any 
number of days — I mean paper and a pencil, with which I 
made notes, to aid my recollections, and enable me afterwards 
to write down in a journal the remarks I made during my 
travels. Every preparation being made, we one morning 



248 TWENlY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

started from Jala-Jala. We traversed the peninsula formed 
by my settlement, and embarked on the other side in a small 
canoe, which took us to the bottom of the lake to the north- 
east of my habitation. We passed the night in the large 
village of Siniloan, and at an early hour the following day 
resumed our march. This first day's journey was one of toil 
and suffering : we were then beginning the rainy season, and 
the heavy storms had swelled the rivers. We marched for 
some time along the banks of a torrent, which rushed down 
from the mountains, and which we were obliged to swim 
through fifteen times during the day. In the evening we 
came to the foot of the mountains where begin the forests of 
gigantic trees, which cover almost all the centre of the island 
of Luzon. There we made our first halt, lighted our fires, 
and prepared our beds and our supper. I think that I have 
already described our beds, which use and fatigue always ren- 
dered agreeable to us, when no accident occured to disturb our 
repose. But I have said nothing of the simple composition of 
our meals, nor of our manner of preparing them. Our rice 
and palms required to be cooked, an operation which might 
seem rather embarrassing, for we had with us no large kitchen 
articles : we sometimes wanted a fire-box and tinder. But 
the bamboo supplied all these. The bamboo is one of the 
three tropical plants which Nature, in her beneficence and 
care, seems to have given to man to supply most of his wants. 
And here I cannot forhear dedicating a few lines to the de- 
scription of those three products of the tropics, viz : the bam- 
boo, the cocoa-nut tree, and the banana-plant. 

The bamboo belongs to the gramineous family ; it grows in 
thick groves, in the woods, on the river banks, and wherever 
it finds a humid soil. In the Philippines there are counted 



UTILITY OF THE BAMBOO. 949 

twenty-five or thirty kinds, different in form and thickness. 
There are some of the diameter of the human body, and hollow 
in the interior : this kind serves especially for the construction 
of huts, and for making vessels to transport and to keep water. 
The filaments are used for making baskets, hats, and all kinds 
of basket-work, cords, and cables of great solidity. 

Another bamboo, of smaller dimensions, and hollow within, 
which is covered with varnish, almost as hard as steel, is em- 
ployed in building Indian houses. Cut to a point it is ex- 
tremely sharp, and is used for many purposes. The Indians 
make lances of it, and arrows, and fleams for bleeding horses, 
and lancets for opening abcesses, and for taking thorns or 
other things out of the flesh. 

A third kind, much more solid, and as thick as one's arm, 
and not hollow within, is used in such parts of the buildings as 
require sold timber, and especially in the roofing. 

A fourth kind, much smaller, and also without being hollow, 
serves to make the fences that surround enclosed fields when 
tilled. The other kinds are not so much employed, but still 
they are found to be useful. 

To preserve the plants, and to render them very productive, 
the shoots are cut at ten feet from the ground. These shoots 
look like the tubes of an organ, and are surrounded with 
branches and thorns. At the beginning of the rainy season 
there grows from each of those groves a quantity of thick 
bamboos, resembling large asparagus, which shoot up as it 
were by enchantment. In the space of a month they become 
from fifty to sixty feet long, and after a short time they acquire 
all the solidity necessary for the various works to which they 
are destined. 

The cocoa-nut tree belongs to the palm family : it requires to 



250 



TWENTY TEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 



grow seven years before it bears fruit ; but after this period, and 
for a whole century, it yields continually the same product — that 
is, every month about twenty large nuts. This produce never 
fails, and on the same tree may be seen continually flowers and 

fruits of all sizes. The cocoa 
\\ f,\u II itiii ill ^\^Mi'm nut affords, as everyone knows, 

nutritious food,and when pressed 
yields a quantity of oil. The 
shell of the nut serves to make 
vases, and the filamentary parts 
are spun into ropes and cables 
for ships, and even into coarse 
clothing. The leaves are used 
to make baskets and brooms, 
and for thatching the huts. 

A liquor is also taken from 
the cocoa-nut tree, called cocoa- 
wine ; it is a most stupifying drink, of which the Indians make 
great use at their festivities. To produce the cocoa-wine, large 
groves of the cocoa-trees are laid out, from which merely the 
sap or juice is expected, but nothing in the shape of fruit. 
These trees have long bamboos laid at their tops from one 
to another, on which the Indians pass over every morning, 
bearing large vessels, in which they collect the liquid. It is a 
laborious and dangerous employment, — a real promenade in the 
air, at the height of from sixty to eighty feet from the ground. 
It is from the bud which ought to produce the flower that the 
liquid is drawn of which the spirit is afterwards made. As 
soon as the bud is about to burst, the Indian employed in col 
lecting the liquid ties it very tight, a few inches from its 
point, and then cuts across the point beyond the tying 




The Cocoa-Nut. 



THE COCOA-NUT TREE — THE BANANA 951 

From this cutting, or from the pores which are left uncovered, 
a saccharine liquid flows, which is sweetish and agreeable to 
the palate before it has fermented. After it has passed the 
fermentation it is carried to the still, and submitted to the 
process of distillation, it then becomes the alcoholic liquor 
known in the country as cocoa-wine. 

Besides these uses, the cocoa-nut shell, when burned, gives 
the fine black colour which the Indians make use of to dye 
their straw hats. 

The banana is an herbaceous plant, without any woody mat- 
ter : the trunk of each is formed of 
leaves placed one above the other. 
This trunk rises from twelve to 
fifteen feet from the ground, and 
then spreads out into long broad 
leaves, not less than five or sis feet 
each. From the middle of these 
leaves the flower rises, and also the 
spike (regime). By this word is to 
be understood a hundred of large 
bananas growing from the same 
stalk, forming together a long 

° ° ^ The Banana, 

branch, that turns towards the sun. 

Before the fruit has reached its full ripeness, the spike 
is cut, and becomes fit for use. The part of the plant 
which is in the earth is a kind of large root, from which 
proceed successively thirty shoots, and each shoot ought not 
to have more than one spike, or bunch; it is then cut 
fronting the sun, and as all the shoots rising from the 
same trunk are of different ages, there are fruits to be found 
in all the stages of growth ; so that every month or fort- 




252 TWENTY YEARS ' IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

night, and at all seasons, a spike or two may be gathered 
from the same plant. There is also a species of banana 
the fruit of which is not good to eat, but from which raw 
silk is formed, called abaca, which is used to make clothes, 
and all kinds of cordage. This filament is found in the trunk 
of the plant, which, as I have said, consists of leaves placed one 
over another, which, after being separated into long strips, 
and left for some hours in the sun, is then placed on an iron 
blade, not sharp, and then dragged with force over it. The paren 
chyme of the plant is taken off by the iron blade, and the fila- 
ments then separate. Nothing is now wanting but to expose 
them for some time to the sun's rays ; after which they are 
brought to market. 

I observe that I have left my journey aside to describe 
three tropical plants, which afford a sufficiency for all the 
wants of man. Those plants are well-known; yet there may 
be some persons ignorant of the utility, and of the various 
services which they render to the inhabitants of the tropics. 
My readers will from them be naturally led to reflect how the 
inhabitants of the torrid zone are favoured by nature, in com- 
parison with those of our frigid climate. 

We were at the foot of the mountains, preparing to pass 
the night. Our labour was always divided one got the beds 
ready, another the fire, a third the cookery. He who had to 
prepare the fire collects a quantity of dry wood and of brambles. 
Under this heap of firewood he puts about twelve pounds of 
elemi gum, which is common in the Philippines, where it is 
found in quantities at the foot of the large trees from which it 
flows naturally. He then takes a piece of bamboo, half a-yard 
long, which he splits to its length, tears with poignard so as to 
make very thin shavings, which he rubs together while rolling 



OUR MODE OF LIVING ON THE JOUENET. 253 

them between his hands, and then puts them into the hollow 
part of the other piece, and lays it down on the ground, and 
then with the sharp side of the piece from which he had taken 
the shavings, he rubs strongly the piece lying on the ground, 
as if he wished to saw it across. In a short time the bamboo 
containing the shavings is cut through and on fire. The 
flame rising from the shavings, when blown lightly upon, quickly 
sets the elemi gum in a blaze, and in an instant there is a 
fire sufficient to roast an ox. 

He who had to manage the cooking cut two or three 
pieces of the large bamboo, and put in each whatever he wished 
to cook — usually rice or some part of the palm tree — he 
added some water, stopped the ends of the bamboo with 
leaves, and laid it in the middle of the fire. This bamboo was 
speedily burned on the outside, but the interior was moistened 
by the water, and the food within was as well boiled as in 
any earthen vessels. For plates we had the large palm 
leaves. Our meals, as may be observed, were Spartan enough, 
even during the days while our provision of rice and dried 
venison lasted. But when game was found, and that a stag or 
a buffalo fell to our lot, we fed like epicures. We drank pure 
water whenever a spring or a rivulet tempted us, but if we 
were at a loss we cut long pieces of the liana, called " the travel- 
ler's drink," from which flowed a clear and limpid draught, 
preferable perhaps to any which we might have procured from 
a better source. 

It was evident I was not travelling like a nabob ; and it 
would have been impossible to take more baggage. How could 
any one, with large provisions and a pompous retinue move 
in the midst of mountains covered with forests literally along 
untouched by human feet, and forced, in order to get througn 



254 TWENTY YEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

them, at every instant to swim across torrents, and having 
no other guide than the sun, or the blowing of the breeze 
There was no choice but to travel in the Indian style, as I did, 
or to remain at home. 

The first night we spent in the open air passed quietly ; 
our strength was restored, and we were recruited for the 
journey. At an early hour we were up, and, after a frugal 
breakfast, we resumed our march. For more than two hours 
we climbed up a mountain covered with heavy timber, the 
ascent was rough and fatiguing, at last we reached the top, 
quite exhausted, where there was a vast flat, which it would 
take us some days to traverse. It was there, on this flat, that 
I beheld the most majestic, the finest virgin forest that existed 
in the world. It consists of gigantic trees, grown up as 
straight as a rush, and to a prodigious height. Their tops, 
where alone their branches grow, are laced into one another, 
so as to form a vault impenetrable to the rays of the sun. 
Under this vault, and among those fine trees, prolific nature 
has given birth to a crowd of climbing plants of a most remark- 
able description. The rattan and the flexible liana mount up 
to the topmost branches, and re-descending to the earth, take 
fresh root, receive new sustenance, and then remount anew, 
and at various distances they join themselves to the friendly 
trunks of their supporting columns, and thus they form very 
often most beautiful decorations. Varieties of the pandanus 
are to be seen, of which the leaves, in bunches, start from the 
ground, forming beautiful sheaves. Enormous ferns were to be 
met with, real trees in shape, and up which we clambered often, 
to cut the top branches, for their delicious perfume and wbich 
serve as food nearly the same as the palms. But, in the 
midst of this extraordinary vegetation nature is gloomy and 



A VIEGIN FOEEST THE LEECHES. 355 

silent; not a sound is to be heard, unless perhaps the wind 
that shakes the tops of the trees, or from time to time the 
distant noise of a torrent, which, falling precipitately, cascades 
from the heights of the mountains to their base. The ground 
is moist, as it never receives the sun's rays : the little lakes 
and the rivers, that never flow unless when swollen by the 
storms, present to the eye water black and stagnant, on which 
the reflection of the fine clear blue sky is never to be seen. 

The sole inhabitants of these melancholy though majestic 
solitudes are deer, buffaloes and wild boars, which being hidden 
in their lairs and dens in the daytime, come out at night in 
search of food. Birds are seldom seen, and the monkeys so 
common in the Philippines, shun the solitude of these im- 
mense forests. One kind of insect is met with in great abun- 
dance, and it plagues the traveller to the utmost ; they are the 
small leeches, which are found on all the mountains of the 
Philippines that are covered with forests. They lie close to 
the ground in the grass, or on the leaves of the trees, and dart 
like grasshoppers on their prey, to which they fasten. Travel- 
lers are therefore always provided with little knives, cut from 
the bamboo, to loosen the hold of the insects, after which 
they rub the wound with a little chewed tobacco. But soon 
another leech, attracted by the flowing blood, takes the place 
of the one which was removed, and constant care is necessary 
to avoid being victimised by those little insects, of which the 
voracity far exceeds that of our common leeches. 

Our way lay through these singular creations of nature, 
and I was engaged in looking at and examining the curiosities 
around me, while my Indians were seeking some kind of game — 
deer, bufialo, or wild boar — ^to replace our stock of rice and 
venison, which was exhausted. We were at length reduced 



256 



TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 




to the palms as our only resource; but the palms, though 
pleasing to the palate, are not sufficiently nutritive to recruit 
the strength of poor travellers, -when, suffering under extreme 
fatigue, and after a laborious march, 
they find no lodging but the moist 
ground, and no shelter but the vault 
of the sky. 

We directed our course as near 
as possible towards the eastern 
coast, v?hich is bathed by the 
Pacific ocean. We knew that it 
was in that direction the Ajetas 
commenced their settlement. We 
wished also to pass through the 
large Tagalese village, Binangonan 
de Lampon, which is to be found, 
isolated and hidden, at the foot of 
the eastern mountains, in the midst of the savages. We 
had already spent several nights in the forest, and without 
experiencing any great inconvenience. The fires which we 
lighted every evening warmed us, and saved us from the 
myriads of terrible leeches, which otherwise would certainly 
have devoured us. We imagined that we were within one 
day's march of the sea-shore, where we expected to take 
some time for rest, when, of a sudden, a burst of thunder at a 
distance gave us reason to apprehend a storm. Nevertheless, 
we continued our journey ; but in a short time the growling of 
the thunder approached so near as to leave no doubt that the 
hurricane would burst over us. We stopped, lighted our fires, 
cooked our evening's repast, and placed some of the palm leaves 
on poles by the side of a slope to save us from the heavy rain 



Fniit of the Pclm Tree. 



A TROPICAL STOEM. 257 

We had not finished all our preparations when the storm broke. 
If we had not had the glimmering glare of our firebrands 
we should have been in profound obscurity, although it was not 
yet night. We all three, with pieces of palm branches in our 
hands, crouched under the slight shelter which we had impro. 
vised, and there awaited the full force of the storm. The 
thunder-claps were redoubled ; the rain began with violence to 
batter the trees, and then to assail us like a torrent. Our 
fires were speedily extinguished; we found ourselves in the 
deepest darkness, interrupted only by the lightning, which from 
time to time rushed, serpent-like, through the trees of the 
forest, scattering a dazzling light, to leave us the moment after 
in profound obscurity. Around us the din was horrible ; the 
thunder was continuous, the echoes of the mountains repeating 
from distance to distance its sound, sometimes deadened, and 
sometimes with awful grandeur. The wind, which blew with 
violence, shattered the uppermost parts of the trees, breaking 
off large branches, which fell with a crash to the ground. 
Some trunks were uprooted, and, while falling, tore down the 
boughs of the neighbouring trees. The rain was incessant, and 
in the intervals between the thunder we could hear the awful 
roar of the waters of a torrent which rushed madly past the 
base of the mound where we had taken refuge. Amidst all 
this frightful commotion, mournful and dismal sounds were 
heard, like the howls of a large dog which had lost its master : 
they were the cries of the deer in their distress, seeking for a 
place of shelter. Nature seemed to be in convulsions, and to 
have declared war in every element. The loose thatch under 
which we had taken refuge was soon penetrated, and we were 
completely deluged. We soon quitted this miserable hole, pre- 
ferring to move our stifiened and almost deadened limbs, covered 



Si 5 8 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

with the fearful little leeches, which terrible infliction deprived 
us of the strength so necessary in our awful position. 

I avow that at this moment I sincerely repented my fatal 
curiosity, for which I paid so dearly. I could compare this 
frightful night only to the one I had passed in the bamboos, 
when I was wrecked on the lake. In appearance there was 
not such pressing danger, for we could not be swallowed up 
by the waves ; but there were large trees, under which we 
were obliged to stop, and one of which might be uprooted 
and fall upon us ; a bough torn off by the wind might crush 
us ; and the lightning, equally terrific in its reports and its 
effects, might strike us at any moment. One thing was especially 
painful, and that was the cold, and the diflSculty of moving 
our frozen and almost paralysed limbs. We awaited with 
impatience the cessation of the storm ; but it was not until 
after three hours of mortal agony that the thunder gradually 
ceased. The wind fell ; the rain subsided ; and for some time 
we heard nothing but the large drops which dripped from the 
trees, and the dread sound of the torrents. Calm was restored ; 
the sky became pure and starry : but we were deprived of 
that view which gives hope to the traveller, for the forest 
presented only a dome of green, impenetrable to the sight. 

Exhausted as we were by our exposure to the elements 
and our exertions, we were so overpowered by nature's great 
renovator sleep, that, notwithstanding our clothes were saturated 
with the rain, we were able to pass the remainder of the night in 
tranquillity. At break of day the forest, which a few hours 
previously had been the scene of the terrors which I have 
described, was again tranquil and silent. When we quitted 
our lair we were frightful to look at ; we were covered with 
leeches, and the marks of blood on our faces rendered us 



THE EFFECTS OF THE LEECHES. 269 

hideous. On looking at my two poor Indians I could not 
avoid laughing aloud ; they also looked at me, but their re 
spect for me prevented their laughing. I was no doubt equally 
punished, and my white skin must have served to show well the 
ravages of these creatures. We were, indeed, knocked up ; we 
could scarcely move, so weak had we become. However, act 
we must, and promptly, — to light a fire quickly, in order to 
warm us ; to cook some of the palm stalks ; to cross, by 
swimming, a torrent which, with a terrible noise, was rushing 
on below us ; and to reach, during the day, the shores of the 
Pacific ocean. If we delayed to start it might not be pos- 
sible to pass through the torrents,' — we had left several behind 
us, — we might find ourselves in the impossibility of going 
either backward or forward, and perhaps be obliged to remain 
several days waiting for the waters to subside before we could 
proceed. Besides, other storms might arise, frequent as they 
are at this season, and we should have to remain for several 
weeks in a desert spot without resources, and where the first 
night passed under such a bad roof was no recommendation. 
There was no time to be lost. From a large heap of palm 
leaves, where we had placed and covered up our haversacks in 
order to preserve them from the wet, we drew them out safe ; 
our precautions had fortunately been successful, they were 
quite dry. We made a large fire, thanks to the elemi gum, 
which burns with such ease. Our feelings were delightful 
when the heat entered our frames, dried our dripping gar- 
ments, re-animated our courage, and gave us some strength. 
But, to enjoy that satisfaction fully, one should have acquired 
it at the same cost as I had. I very much doubt that any 
European would like to participate in the scenes of that night 
simply for tne enjoyments of the following day. 



260 TWENTY I'EAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

Our scanty cookery was soon ready, and expeditiously dis' 
patched, and we moved off in quick time. 

My Indians were uneasy, as they feared they would not be 
able to pass through the torrent which was heard at a distance, 
consequently they marched quicker than I did. On reaching 
the bank I found them in a consternation. " Oh, master!" said 
my faithful Alila, " it is not possible to pass ; so we must spend 
some days here." I cast my eyes on the torrent, which was 
rolling between steep rocks, in a yellow, muddy stream : it had 
all the appearance of a cascade, and was carrying down the 
trunks of trees and branches broken off during the storm. 
My Indians had already come to a decision, and were arranging 
a spot for a fit bivouac; but I did not wish to give up all 
hopes of success so speedily, and set about examining with care 
the means of overcoming the difficulty. 

The torrent was not more than a hundred yards in breadth^ 
and a good swimmer could with ease get over in a few minutes. 
But it was necessary, on the opposite side, to arrive at a spot 
which was not too steep, and where one could find safe footing, 
and out of the torrent ; otherwise the risk would be run of 
being drawn down, no one could tell whither. 

From the bank on which we were it was easy to jump 
into the water, but on the other side, for a hundred yards 
down the stream, there was but one spot where the rocks 
were interrupted. A small stream joined there the one we 
wished to cross. After I had carefully calculated by sight 
the lengtb of the passage, I considered myself strong enough 
to attempt it. I was a better swimmer than my Indians ; 
and I was certain if I was once on the other side, that 
they would follow. I told them that I was going to cross over 
the torrent. 



AN INDIAN BETDGE. 261 

But one reflection caused me to hesitate. How could. I 
preserve our haversacks, and save our precious provision of 
powder? How keep our guns from injury? It would not be 
possible to think of carrying those articles on my back through 
a torrent so rapid, and in which, beyond doubt, I should be 
under water more than once before I gained the other side. 

The Indians, being fertile in expedients, speedily extricated 
me from this difficulty : they cut several rattans, and joined the 
ends together, so as to form a considerable length. One of 
them climbed a tree which leant over the torrent, and there 
fastened one end of the rattan length, while I took the other 
end to carry it over to the other bank. All our arrangements 
being effected I plunged into the water, and without much 
difficulty gained the opposite side, having the end of the rattan 
with me, which I fastened to a tree on the steep bank I had 
gained, allowing a slight inclination of the line towards me, 
yet raised sufficiently over the water to allow the articles 
which we were anxious to pass over to slide along without 
touching the water. Our newly constructed bridge was won- 
derfully successful. The articles came across quite safe and 
dry; and my Indians, by its aid, quickly joined me. We con- 
gratulated each other on our fortunate passage, and the more 
so, as we expected before sunset to reach the Pacific ocean. Of 
the woods we had had enough : and we «iow looked for the 
sun, which for several days had been obscured by clouds ; the 
leeches caused us considerable suffering, and weakened us very 
much, and our miserable diet was not sufficient to recruit our 
exhausted frames. Moreover we did not doubt that, on reaching 
the sea, we should be amply recompensed for all the privations 
we had endured. In fine, with renewed hopes we found our 
courage revive, and soon forgot the fatal night of the storm, 



263 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

I walked nearly as quick as my Indians, who, like me, 
hastened to get clear of the insupportable humidity in which 
we had existed for several days. 

Two hours after we had passed the torrent a dull and 
distant sound struck our ears. At first we supposed it to be 
a fresh storm ; but soon we knew, from its regularity, that it 
was nothing less than the murmur of the Pacific ocean, and 
the sound of the waves which come from afar to break them- 
selves on the eastern shore of Luzon. This certainty caused 
me a most pleasing emotion. In a few hours I should again 
see the blue sky, warm myself in the generous rays of the 
sun, and find a boundless horizon. I should also get rid of the 
fearful leeches, and should soon salute Nature, animated in 
creation, in exchange for the solitudes from which we had 
just emerged. 

We were now on the declivity of the mountains, the descent 
of which was gentle and our march easy. The sound of the waves 
increased by degrees. Near three o'clock in the afternoon we 
perceived through the trees that the sun was clear ; and an in- 
stant afterwards we beheld the sea, and a magnificent beach, 
covered with fine glittering sand. The first movement of all 
three was to strip ofi" our clothes and to plunge into the waves ; 
and while we thus enjoyed a salutary bath, we amused our- 
selves in collecting off the rocks a quantity of shell-fish, 
which enabled us to make the most hearty meal we had eaten 
since we started from home. 

Having thus satisfied our hunger, our thoughts were directed 
to taking rest, of which we stood in great need ; but it was no 
longer on knotty and rough pieces of timber, that we were 
gomg to repose, — it was on the soft sand, which the shore offered 
to us, warmed aa it was by the last rays of the setting sun. 



"BBENAKB THE HERMIT." 263 

It was almost night when we stretched ourselves on this bed, 
which to us was preferable to one of down. Our sacks served 
as pillows ; we laid our guns, which were properly primed, 
close by our sides, and after a few minutes were buried in 
a profound sleep. I know not how long I had enjoyed 
this invigorating balm when I was awakened by the painful 
feeling of something crawling over me. I felt the prickings of 
sharp claws, which fastened in my skin, and occasionally caused 
me great pain. Similar sensations had awakened my two 
Indians. We collected the embers which were still ignited, 
and were able to see the new kind of enemies which assailed us. 
They were the crabs called "Bernard the Hermit,"* and in 
such quantities that the ground, was crawling with them, of all 
sizes and of all ages. We swept the sand on which we laid 
down, hoping to drive them away, and to have some sleep ; bat 
the troublesome — or rather, the famishing hermits — returned 
to the charge, and left us neither peace or quiet. We were busy 
in resisting their attacks, when suddenly, on the edge of the 
forest, we perceived a light, which came towards us. We seized 
our guns, and awaited its approach in profound silence and with 
out any movement. We then saw a man and woman coming out 
of the wood, each having a torch in their hands. We knew 
them to be Ajetas, who were coming, no doubt, to catch fish 
on the beach. When they reached within a few steps from us, 
they stood for an instant motionless and gazed at us with fixed 
attention. We three were seated, watching them, and trying 
to guess their intentions. One of them put his hand to his 
shoulder, as if to take his bow; and I instantly cocked my 

• Bernard the Hermit is a crab, which lodges in the abandoned shell of 
the molluscse, and comes at night in search of food, which it finds on the sea 
beach. 



264 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

gun. The noise caused by the movement of the gun-lock was 
sufficient to frighten them : they threw down their ligltt, and 
scampered oflf like two wild beasts, in the highest alarm, 
to hide themselves in the forest. 

Their appearance was enough to prove that we were in a 
place frequented by the Ajetas. The two savages whom we 
had seen were perhaps gone to inform their friends, who 
might come in great numbers and let fly at us their poisoned 
arrows. This dread, and the incessant attacks of Bernard 
the Hermit, caused us to spend the remainder of the night 
near a large fire. 

As soon as day broke we made an excellent breakfast, 
thanks to the abundance of shell -fish, of which we could take 
whatever quantity we liked, and then set out again. Our way lay 
sometimes along the shore, and at other times through the woods. 
The journey was very fatiguing, but without any incident worthy 
of notice. It was after night-fall when we arrived at the 
village of Binangonan de Lampon. This village, inhabited by 
Tagalocs, is thrown, like an oasis of men, somewhat civilised, 
in the midst of forests and savage people, and who had no direct 
communication with the other districts which are governed by 
the Spaniards. 

My name was known to the inhabitants of Binangonan de 
Lampon, consequently we were received with open arms, and all 
the heads of the village disputed with each other for the honour 
of having me as a guest. I gave the preference to him who had 
first invited me, and in his dwelling I experienced the kindest 
hospitality. I had scarcely entered when the mistress of the 
house herself wished to wash my feet, and to show me all 
those attentions which proved to me the pleasure they felt that 
I had given them this preference. 



CURlOSlTf UK THE NATIVES. 



265 




Inhabitants ol binangonMi de La 



During supper, while I was enjoying the good food which 
was before me, the small house in which I was seated became 
filled with yoimg girls, who gazed at me with a curiosity 
which was really comic. When I had finished my meal the con 
versation with my host began to weary me, and I stretched 
myself on a mat, which on that occasion I regarded as an 
excellent substitute for a feather-bed. 

I spent three days with the kind Tagalocs, who received 
and treated me like a prince. On the fourth day 1 bade them 
adieu, and we shaped our course to the northward, in the 
midst of mountains covered with thick forests, and which, like 
those that we had quitted, showed no path for the traveller, 



366 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

except some tracks or openings through which wild animals 
passed. We proceeded with great caution, for we found our- 
selves in the district peopled by Ajetas. At night we concealed 
our fire, and each of us in turn kept watch, for what we dreaded 
most was a surprise. 

One morning, while marching in silence, we heard before 
us a number of shrill voices, resembling rather the cries of 
birds than human sounds. We kept strict watch, and shaded 
ourselves as much as possible by the aid of the trees and of 
the brushwood. Suddenly we perceived before us, at a very 
little distance, forty savages of both sexes, and of all ages; 
they absolutely seemed to be mere brutes ; they were on the 
bank of a river, and close to a large fire. We advanced some 
steps presenting the but-end of our guns. The moment 
they saw us they set up a shrill cry, and were about to 
take to flight ; but I made signs, and showed the packet of 
cigars which we wished to give them. Fortunately I had 
learned at Binangonan the way by which I was to approach 
them. As soon as they understood us they ranged themselves 
in a line, like men about to be reviewed ; that was the signal 
that we might come near them. We approached with the 
cigars in our hands, and at one end of the line I began to 
distribute my presents. It was highly important to make 
friends of them, and, according to their custom, to give to each 
an equal share. My distribution being finished, our alliance 
was cemented, and peace concluded : the savages and we had 
nothing to dread from each other. They all began smoking. 
A stag had been suspended to a tree ; their chief cut three large 
pieces from it with a bamboo knife, which he threw into the 
glowing fire, and a moment afterwards drew it out again and 
handed it round, a piece being given to each of us. The outside 



OUR FEAST WITH THE AJETAS. 267 

of this steak was burned, and a little spotted with cinders, but 
the inside was raw and full of blood ; however it was necessary 
not to show any repugnance, and to make a cannibal feast, 
otherwise my hosts would have been affronted, and I was 
anxious to live with them for some days on a good understand- 
ing. I therefore eat my portion of the stag, which, after 
all, was not bad : my Indians did as I had done. Good rela- 
tions were thus established between us, and treachery was not 
then to be expected. 

I now found myself in the midst of a tribe of men 
whom I had come from Jala-Jala to see, and I set about ex- 
amining them at my ease, and for as long as I wished. We 
fixed our bivouac some steps from theirs, as if we wished to 
form part of the family of our new friends. I could not 
address them but by signs, and I had the greatest difficulty in 
making them understand me, but on the day after my arrival 
I had an interpreter. A woman came to me with a child, to 
which she wished to give a name ; she had been reared 
amongst the Tagalocs; she had spoken that language, of which 
she remembered a little, and could give, although with much 
difficulty, all the information I desired which was to me of 
interest. 

The creatures with whom I had thus formed a connection 
for a few days, and as I saw them, seemed rather to be a large 
family of monkeys than human beings. Their voices very 
much resembled the shrill cries of those animals, and in their 
gestures they were exactly like them. The only difference 
I could see was that they knew how to handle a bow and a 
lance, and to make a fire. To describe them properly I shall 
give a sketch of their forms and physiognomies. 

The Ajeta, or little negro, is as black as ebony, like the 



268 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

Africans ; his greatest height is four feet and a-half ; his 
hair is woolly, and as he takes no trouble about cutting it, and 
knows not how to arrange it, it forms around his head a sort 
of crown, which gives him an odd aspect, and, at a distance, 
makes him appear as if surrounded with a kind of halo ; his 
eye is yellowish, but lively and brilliant, like that of an eagle. 
The necessity of living by the chase, and of pursuing his prey, 
produces the effect on this organ of giving to it the most extra- 
ordinary vivacity. The features of the Ajetas have something of 
the African black, but the lips are not so prominent; while young 
their forms are pretty ; but their lives being spent in the woods, 
sleeping always in the open air without shelter, eating much 
one day and often having nothing — ^long fastings, followed by 
repasts swallowed with the voracity of wild beasts — gave them a 
protruding stomach, and made their extremities lank and shri- 
velled. They never wear any clothing, unless a belt of the rind 
of a tree, fromeight to ten inches in breadth, which they tie round 
their waist ; their arms are composed of a bamboo lance, a bow of 
the palm tree, and poisoned arrows. Their food consists of roots, 
of fruits, and of the products of the chase ; the flesh they eat 
nearly raw ; and they live in tribes composed of from fifty to 
sixty individuals. During the day, the old men, the infirm, and 
the children, remain near a large fire, while the others are 
engaged in hunting ; when they have a sufficiency of food to 
last for some days, they remain round their fire, and sleep pell- 
mell among the cinders. 

It is extremely curious to see collected together fifty or 
sixty of these brutes of every age, and each more or less de- 
formed ; the old women especially are hideous, their decrepid 
limbs, their big bellies and their extraordinary heads of hair, 
give them all the looks of furies, or of old witches. 



I BAPTISE SOME NATIVE CHILDREN. 969 

I had scaxcely arrived than women with very young chil- 
dren came in crowds to me. In order to satisfy them I 
caressed their babes : but that was not what they wanted, and, 
notwithstanding their gestures and their words, I could not 
make out their wishes. On the following day, the woman 
whom I have already mentioned as having lived for some time 
among the Tagalocs, arrived from a neighbouring tribe, accom- 
panied by ten other women, each of whom had an infant in her 
arms. She explained what I was not able to comprehend on 
the previous day, and said : "We have amongst us very few 
words for conversation : all our children take at their birth the 
name of the place where they are born. There is great con- 
fusion, then, and we have brought them to you that you may 
give them names." 

As soon as I understood this explanation, I wished to cele- 
brate the ceremony with all the pomp that the circumstances 
and the place allowed. I went to a small rivulet, and there, 
as I knew the formula for applying the baptismal water, I 
took my two Indians as sponsors, and during several days 
baptised about fifty of these poor children. Each mother 
who brought her infant was accompanied by two persons 
of her own family. I pronounced the sacramental words, 
and poured water on the head of the child, and then announced 
aloud the name I had given to the child. Therefore, as they 
have no means of perpetuating their recollections, from the 
time that I pronounced the name, — Francis, for instance, — the 
mother and her accompanying witnesses repeated it very often, 
until they learned to say it correctly, and commit it to me- 
mory. Then they went away, and were constantly repeating 
the name, which they were anxious to retain. 

'Xhe first day the ceremony was rather long ; but the se 



270 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

cond day the number lessened, and I was allowed to pursue 
my examination of the character of my hosts. I had retained 
the woman who spoke Tagaloc, and in the long conversations 
which I held with her, she initiated me thoroughly in all their 
customs and usages. 

The Ajetas haye no religion ; they do not adore any star. 
It seems, however, that they have transmitted to, or received 
from, the Tinguianes, the practice of adoring, during one day, 
a rock or a trunk of any tree on which they find any resem- 
blance whatever of an animal ; they then abandon it, and think 
no more of an idol until they meet with a strange form, which, 
for a short time, constitutes the object of their frivolous wor- 
ship. They have a strong veneration for the dead ; and during 
several years it is their practice to visit their graves, and 
there to leave a little tobacco or betel. The bow and arrows 
which once belonged to the deceased are hung up over his 
grave on the day of his interment ; and every night, according 
to the belief of his surviving comrades, he rises up out of his 
grave, and goes to hunt in the forest. 

Interments take place without any ceremony. The dead 
body is laid at full length in a grave, which is covered up with 
earth. But whenever one of the Ajetas is dangerously ill, and 
his recovery despaired of, or that he has been even slightly 
wounded by a poisoned arrow, his friends place him seated in 
a deep hole, with the arms crossed over his breast, and thus 
inter him while living. 

I thought of speaking to my interpreter on religion, and 
asked her if she did not believe in a Supreme Being — an all- 
powerful Divinity, on whom all nature — even we ourselves — 
depend in all things ; and who had created the firmament, and 
who was looking on at our acts. She looked at me with a 



CURIOUS CUSTOM OF THE AJETAS. 271 

smile, and said : " When I was young, amongst your brothers, 
I remember that they spoke to me of a master, who, as they 
said, had Heaven for his dwelhng-place ; but all that was lies ; 
for see " — (she here took up a small stone and threw it into the 
air, saying, in a very serious tone) — " how can a king, as you 
say, remain in the sky any more than that stone?" What 
answer could I give to such reasoning? I left religion aside,, 
to put to her other questions. 

I have already stated that the Ajetas did not often wait for 
the death of a person to put him into the ground. As soon as 
the last honours are rendered to a deceased, it is requisite, 
conformably to their usages, to take revenge for his death. 
The hunters of the tribe to which he belonged set out, with 
their lances and their arrows, to kill the first living creature 
which should appear before their eyes — be it man, stag, wild 
boar, or buffalo. From the moment they start in search of a 
victim, they take care, in every part of the forest through 
which they pass, to break the young shoots of the arbustus 
shrub, by pointing its tops in the direction which they are 
following. This is done to give a caution to their friends, 
and other passers-by, to avoid those places in which they are 
searching for a victim, for if one of themselves fell into their 
hands, he would, without fail, be taken as the expiatory 
victim. 

They are faithful in marriage, and have but one wife. 
When a young man has made his choice, his friends or his 
parents make a demand for the young girl ; a refusal is never 
given. A day is chosen ; and on the morning of that day the 
young girl is sent into the forest, where she hides herself or 
not, just as she pleases, and according as she wishes to be 
married to the young man who has asked her. An hour after 



^'^S TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

her departure, the young man is sent to find out his bride. If 
he has the good luck to find her, and to bring her back to her 
parents before sunset, the marriage is concluded, and she 
becomes his wife without fail; but if, on the contrary, he 
returns to the camp without her, he is not allowed to renew 
his addresses. 

Among the Ajetas old age is highly respected. It is 
always one of the oldest men who governs the assembled body. 
All the savages of this race live, as I have stated, in large . 
families of from sixty to eighty persons. They ramble about 
through the forests, without having any fixed spot for their 
abode ; and they change their encampment according to the 
greater or less quantity of game which they find in various 
places. 

While thus living in a state of nature altogether primitive, 
these savages have no instrument of music, and their language 
imitating, as I have stated, the cries of monkeys, has very few 
sounds, which are extremely difficult for a stranger to pro- 
nounce, how much soever may be his eagerness to study them. 
They are excellent hunters, and make a wonderful use of the 
bow. The young negroes, however little, of each sex, while 
their parents are out hunting, amuse themselves on the banks 
of the rivulets with their small bows. If by chance they see 
any fish in the translucent stream they let fly an arrow at it, 
and it is seldom that they miss their aim. 

All the weapons of the Ajetas are poisoned ; a simple arrow 
could not cause a wound so severe as to stop a strong animal, 
such as a deer, in its course ; but if the dart has been smeared 
with the poison known to them, the smallest puncture of it 
produces in the wounded animal an inextinguishable thirst, 
avid death ensues upoii satisfying it. The hunters then cut 



POISON USED BY THE AJETA8. 9T3 

out the flesh around the wound, and use the remainder as food, 
without any danger ; but if they neglect this precaution, the 
meat becomes so exceedingly bitter that even the Ajetas them 
selves cannot eat it. 

Never having given credit to the famous boah of Java, 1 
made experiments at Sumatra on the sort of poison of which 
the Malays make use to poison their weapons. I discovered that 
it was simply a strong solution of arsenic in citron juice, with 
which they coated their arms several times. I tried to find 
the poison used by the Ajetas. They led me to the foot of a 
large tree, and tore oflF a piece of its bark, and told me that 
that was the poison they used. I chewed some of it before 
them; it was insupportably bitter, but otherwise not injurious 
in its natural state. But the Ajetas make a preparation of it, 
the secret of which they refused to impart to me. When their 
poison is made up as a paste, they give to their arms a thin 
coating of it, about an eighth of an inch in thickness. 

The Ajetas in their movements are active and supple to an 
incredible degree ; they climb up the highest trees like mon- 
keys, by seizing the trunk with both hands, and using the 
soles of their feet. They run like a deer in the pursuit of 
the wild animals : this is their favourite occupation. It is a 
very cm'ious sight to see these savages set out on a hunting 
excursion ; men, women, and children move together, very 
much like a troop of ourang-ou tangs when going on a plunder- 
ing party. They have always with them one or two little dogs, 
of a very special breed, which they employ in tracking out 
their prey whenever it is wounded. 

I enjoyed quite at my ease the hospitality exercised 
towards me by these primitive men. I saw amongst them, and 
with my own eyes, all that I was desirous of knowing. The 



S74 TWENTY TEABS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

painful life which I had led since my departure from home, 
without any shelter but the trees, and eating nothing but what 
the savages provided, began to tire me exceedingly : I resolved 
to return to Jala-Jala. Having previously noticed several graves 
at a short distance from our bivouac, an idea struck me of 
carrying away a skeleton of one of the savages, which would, 
in my judgment, be a curiosity to present to the Jardin des 
Plantes or to the Museum of Anatomy at Paris. The under- 
taking was one of great danger, on account of the veneration 
of the Ajetas for their dead. They might surprise us while 
violating their graves, and then no quarter was to be expected. 
I was, however, so much accustomed to overcome whatever 
opposed my will, that the danger did not deter me from acting 
upon my resolution, I communicated my intentions to my 
Indians, who did not oppose my project. 

Some few days afterwards we packed up our baggage, and 
took farewell of our hosts. We shaped our course towards the 
Indian cemetery. In the first graves which we opened we 
found the bones decayed in part, and I could only procure tw& 
skulls, which were, not worth the danger to which they exposed 
us. However, we continued our researches, and towards the 
close of the day discovered the remains of a woman, who, from 
the position of the body in the grave, must have been buried 
before her death. The bones were still covered with skin ; but 
the body was dry, and almost like a mummy. This was a 
fit subject. We had taken the body out of the grave, and 
were beginning to pack it up piece by piece into a sack, 
when we heard small shrill cries at a distance. The Ajetas 
were coming upon us, and there was no time to be lost. 
We seized our prize and started off as quick as possible. We 
had not got a hundred yards, when we heard the arrows 



WE CARRY AWAY THE SKELETON OF AN AJETAS. 275 

whistling about our ears. The Ajetas, perched on the tops of 
the trees, waited for us and attacked us, without our having 
any means of defence. Fortunately night came to our aid; 
their arrows, usually so sure, were badly directed, and did not 
touch us. While escaping we fired a gun to frighten them, 
and were soon able to leave them far behind, without having 
received any other injury than the alarm, and a sufficient 
notice of the danger to be encountered in disturbing the 
repose of their dead. On emerging from the wood, some 
drops of blood caused me to remark a slight scratch on the 
forefinger of my right hand; I attributed this to the hurry 
of my flight, and did not trouble myself much about it, it 
was my practice with trifles, but continued my march towards 
the sea-shore. 

We still retained the skeleton, which we laid on the sandy 
beach, as well as our haversacks and guns, and sat down to 
rest after the fatigue of the journey. My companions then 
began to make reflections on our position, and my lieutenant, 
inspired by his affection for me, and his sense of the danger 
we were exposed to, addressed me in the following strain : 

" Oh, master ! what have we done, and what is to become 
of us ? To-morrow morning the enraged Ajetas will come to 
attack us for the execrable booty which we have carried off 
from them at the risk of our lives. If they would attack in 
the open ground, with our guns we might defend ourselves ; 
but what can one do against those animals, perched here and 
there like monkeys in the top branches of the trees of their 
forest? Those places are for them so many fortresses, from 
which they will to-morrow shower down upon us those darts, 
which, alas ! never fail to do mischief. Luckily it was night 
when they attacked us just now, for otherwise we at this hour 



276 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

should have a lance through each of our bodies, and then they 
would have cut off our heads to serve as trophies for a superb 
fete. Your head, master, would first have been laid on the 
ground, and the brutes would have danced round it, and, as our 
leader, you would have been a target of honour for them to 
practise upon. 

"And now, master, all that which would have occurred to us 
if the night had not favoured our escape is but deferred, for, 
alas! we cannot remain continually on this beach, although it 
is the only spot where we can protect ourselves against these 
black rascals. We must go to our homes, and this we cannot 
do without passing through the woods inhabited by these 
abominable creatures, who made us eat raw meat, and seasoned 
only with cinders. Well, master, before you undertook this 
excursion, you ought to have recollected all that happened 
to us among the Tinguians and the Igorrots." 

I listened calmly to this touching lamentation of my lieu- 
tenant, who was perfectly right in all he said ; but when he 
finished I sought to rouse his courage, and replied : 

"What! my brave Alila! are you afraid? 1 thought the 
Tic-balan, and the evil spirits could alone affect your courage. 
Do you want to make me think that men like yourself, without 
any arms but bad arrows, are enough to make you quake? 
Come, enough of this cowardice ; to-morrow we shall have 
daylight, and we shall see what is to be done. In the mean- 
time let us search for shell-fish, for I am very hungry, notwith- 
standing the alarm into which you are trying to throw me." 

This little sermon gave courage to Alila, who immediately 
set about making a fire, and then, by the aid of lighted bam- 
boos, he and his comrade went to the rocks to find out the 
shell-fish. 



A FOETDNATE DISCOVERY. 277 

Alila was nevertheless quite right, and I myself could not 
disguise the fact, that good luck alone could extricate us from 
the critical position in which we were placed by my fault, in 
having thought of my country, and in wishing to ornament the 
Museum of Paris with a skeleton of an Ajetas.* 

From disposition and habit I was not a man to alarm my- 
self with any danger which was not immediate ; yet I avow 
that the last words 1 had said to Alila : — " To-morrow we shall 
have daylight, and we shall see what is to he done : " — came 
back to my mind, and for a short time occupied my thoughts. 

My Indians brought back a large quantity of shell-fish, 
sufficient for our supper, and Alila ran up quite breathless, 
saying : 

"Master, I have made a discovery! A hundred steps 
from this I have found a canoe, which the sea has cast 
upon the beach; it is large enough to hold us three. We 
can make use of it to get to Binangonan, and there we shall 
be safe from the poisoned arrows of these dogs the Ajetas." 

This discovery was either that Providence had come to our 
aid, or it was a complication of dangers greater than those 
reserved to us on land on awaking in the morning. 

I went instantly to the spot where Alila had made his im 
portant discovery, and having disencumbered the canoe from 
the sand with which it was partly covered, I soon became certain 
that, with some bamboos, and by stopping a few cracks, it would 
be staunch enough to take us over the Pacific ocean, away from 
the Ajetas. 

"Well," said I to Alila, "you see I was right, and you 
must admit the hand of Providence is here. Is it not evident 

* The skeleton is now in the Mus6e Anatoraique of Paris. 



278 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

that this fine boat, built, perhaps, several thousand leagues 
from this, has arrived express from the Polynesian islands to 
carry us away from the claws of the savages." 

" True, master, true ; it is our luck. To-morrow they will 
finely be taken in on not finding us here ; but let us set to 
work, for we have much to do before this fine boat, as you call 
it, will be in a fit state for going through the water " 

We immediately made a large fire on the shore, and went 
into the woods to cut down bamboos and rattans ; then we set 
to work to stop the holes, which decreased fast enough under 
our handy-work upon the abandoned canoe. 

Persons who have never travelled amongst the savages can- 
not imagine how, without having been instructed in the arts, 
and without nails, one could stop up the fissures in such a 
boat, and put it in a state fit for sea. Yet the means were 
rery simple; our poignards, bamboos, and rattans supplied 
everything ; by scraping a bamboo we obtained from it some- 
thing like tow, which we put into the chinks, so that the water 
could not enter. If it was necessary to stop any breach a few 
inches in width, we took from the bamboo a little plank, some- 
what larger than the opening we wished to close, and then 
with the point of the poignard we pierced it all round with 
little holes, to match those which were made in the same 
manner in the boat itself. Afterwards, with long strings of 
the rattan, which we split up and made fine, we sewed the 
little plank to the boat, just as one would a piece of cloth on a 
coat ; we covered the sewing with the elemi gum, and were sure 
the water could not pass through. The rattan served instead 
of hemp, and supplied all our necessities on the occasion. 

We worked with ardour at this our new and only means 
of safety. Once caulked, we placed in it two large bamboos as 



WE EMBAEK IN OUR CANOE. 279 

beams, for without those beams we could not have sailed for ten 
minutes without being upset. Another bamboo served as our 
mast ; the large sack of matting that contained our skeleton 
was transformed into a sail. At last, before the night was far 
advanced, every preparation was finished. The wind was 
favourable, and we hastened to try our boat, and to struggle 
with new diflficulties. 

We placed in the canoe our arms and the skeleton, the 
cause of our new troubles ; we then pushed the boat over 
the sand and got it afloat. It took us a good half-hour to 
get" clear of the breakers. We were every moment in danger 
of being swamped by the large waves, which rolled on, dashing 
against the rocks that bound the shore. At last, after we 
had overcome a thousand difficulties and dangers, we reached 
the open sea, and the regular wave — a real movable mountain 
— lifted up, without any sudden shock, our frail boat almost 
to the skies, and then in the same quiet manner let it sink 
into an abyss, from which it was again raised to the top of a 
liquid mountain. These large waves, which follow each 
other usually from interval to interval very regularly, cause 
no danger to a good pilot, who takes the precaution of turn- 
ing the prow of his boat so as to meet them. But woe to 
him if he forgets himself, and makes a false manoeuvre, he 
is then sure to be upset and wrecked. Being used to the 
management of canoes, and, more confident in my own 
vigilance when at sea than in that of my Indians, I took the 
helm. The wind was favourable ; we set up our little sail, and 
went very fast, although every moment I was obliged to turn 
the prow to the heavy waves. We were already a sufficient 
distance from the shore not to fear, if the wind changed, that 
we should be driven in among the breakers. Everything led 



280 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

US to expect a safe voyage, when unfortunately my poor Indians 
were taken ill. They had never sailed before except on the 
lakes of fresh water, and were now attacked with sea-sick- 
ness. This was vexatious to me, for I knew from experience 
that a person so attacked for the first time is altogether in- 
capable of rendering any service, and even of protecting himself 
against the smallest danger that threatens him. I had no one 
to aid me in managing the boat, and was obliged to rely on 
my own exertions. I told him who held the sheet of the sail 
to hand it to me, and I twisted it round my foot, for both my 
hands were engaged in holding the paddle which wan our helm. 
My Indians, like two inanimate bodies, lay at the bottom of 
the boat. 

When I reflect on my position, — on the ocean, in a frail 
boat; having only for helps two individuals who conld not 
move, two skulls, and a skeleton of an Ajetas, — 1 cannot 
help thinking that the reader may imagine* that I have 
concocted a story for his amusement. However, I relate 
facts exactly as they occurred, and I leave all at liberty to 
believe as they please. 

I was, as it were, alone in my frail boat, struggling continually 
with the large waves, which obliged me every moment to deviate 
from the course. I longed for daylight, for I hoped to be able 
to discern the beach of Binaiigonan de Lampon, as a place of 
refuge, where I should find the frank hospitality and the ■■valu- 
able assistance of my old friends. 

At last the long-wished-for sun arose above, the horizon and 
I saw that we were about three leagues from the coast. I had 
gone far too much out to sea, and had passed Binangonan a 
long way. It was not possible to steer back, the wind would 
not allow it ; so I decided on pursuing the same course, ai)'' on 



WE ARRIVE AT THE VILLAGE OP MAOBAN. 281 

doing my best to reach, before night, Maoban, a large Tagaloc 
village, situate on the coast of Luzon, and which is separated 
by a small ridge of mountains from the lake of Bay. The first 
rays of the sun and a little calm restored my Indians to a 
state of being able to render me some service. We passed 
the day without eating or drinking, and we had the regret of 
seeing that we had not attained our purpose. Our position 
was most distressing : a storm might rise, the wind might 
blow with force, and our only resource then would be to throw 
ourselves into the breakers, and to reach the shore as well as 
we could. But luckily nothing of the kind took place ; and 
about midnight we knew, from meeting a small island, that we 
were in front of the village of Maoban. I steered to it, and 
in a short time we arrived in a calm quiet bay, near a sandy 
shore. The fatigue and want of food had thoroughly exhausted 
my strength. I had no sooner landed than I threw myself on the 
ground, and fell into a deep sleep, which lasted until day. When 
I awoke I found the sun's rays were shining full upon me : 
it was near seven o'clock. On any other occasion I should 
have been ashamed of my laziness, but could 1 feel dissatisfied 
with myself for sleeping soundly after thirty-six hours' fasting, 
and spent in such extraordinary exertions. During my sleep 
one of my Indians went into the village in search of provisions, 
and I found excellent rice and salt fish near me. We made a 
delicious and splendid breakfast. My Indians, on behalf of 
the inhabitants, asked me to go to the village, and spend the 
day, but I was too eager to reach home. I knew by walking 
quickly we could get through the mountains, and arrive at night 
on the banks of the lake, within a few hours' journey from my 
house. I determined to start without any delay. We took our 
things out of the boat ; the little sail retook its former shape, 



JJ82 TWENTY TEAKS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

as a sack, to hold the skulls and the skeleton, the cause of 
all the disasters to which we had been exposed, and, with re- 
united strength, and abundant provisions for the day, we began 
to mount the high hills which separate the ^If of Maoban from 
the lake of Bay. The journey was laborious and painful. At 
seven o'clock we embarked on the lake, and towards mid- 
night we reached Jala-Jala, where I very speedily forgot all 
the toil and trouble of my long and dangerous journey, while 
pressing my son in my arms and covering him with paternal 
kisses. 

My excellent friend Vidie, to whom I sold my house and 
establishment, gave me letters which he had received from 
Manilla, and from them I learned that my presence was desired 
there on affairs of importance. I resolved to start on the follow- 
ing day. 




View of Masilla Brom the Znvirona. 



CHAPTEK XIII 

I Determine not again to Separate from my Son — I take him to Manilla — The Effects 
of the Wound I received among the Ajetas — My Recovery — Kindness of the 
Spanish and other Inhabitants of Manilla — Illness of my Son — I return with 
him to Jala-Jala — Sorrowful Remembrances — The Death of my poor Boy — 
His Interment — My frantic Grief and Despair — I Determine to Quit the 
Philippines — I am Called to Manilla by Madame Dolores Seneris — My Final 
Departure from Jala-Jala — I Arrive at Manilla, where I resume Practice as a 
Surgeon — I Embark for France — Discontent — My Travels through Europe— 
I Marry again — Death of my Mother and my Second Wife — Conclusion. 



TTAVING now concluded my last trip into the interior of the 
•^ Philippines, I was desirous of not separating myself again 
from my son, the only being that remained to me of all those 
whom I had loved so tenderly. I took him with me to Manilla ; 
but I did not altogether bid farewell to Jala-Jala, yet I had 
almost the intention of never going back to it. 

The journey was as agreeable as my melancholy recollections 



284 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

would permit. I experienced such pleasure in holding my boy 
in my arms, and in receiving his gentle caresses, that I 
occasionally forgot every sorrow. 

I arrived at Manilla, and took up my quarters in the envi- 
rons, at the abode of Baptiste Vidie, brother of the friend 
whom 1 had left at Jala-Jala. 

After my escape from the Ajetas, I had noticed a small 
wound on the forefinger of my right hand, which I attributed 
to having been accidentally scratched by a branch or a thorn, 
while we were endeavouring to make our escape with such 
precipitation from the arrows which the savages let fly at 
us. The first night I spent at Manilla, I felt in the place 
where the wound was such extreme pain that I fell down 
twice totally senseless. The agony increased every instant, 
and became so violent that I could no longer doubt that it 
was caused by the poison of an arrow, shot at me by the 
Ajetas. I sent for one of my confreres, and after a most 
careful examination, he made a large incision, which did not, 
however, afford me any relief: the hand, on the contrary, 
festered up. By little and little the inflammation extended 
itself up my arm, and I was soon in an alarming state. 

In short, after suffering during a whole month, and after 
the most cruel incertitude, it seemed that the poison had passed 
into my breast. I could not sleep for an instant ; and, in spite 
of me, dead and painful cries came forth from my breast, 
which was on fire. My eyes were veiled — I could not see ; a 
burning sweat covered my face ; my blood was on fire, and did 
not circulate in my veins ; my life seemed about to become 
extinct. The medical men declared that I could not pass 
through the night. According to the usages of the country, 
1 was told that 1 ousht to regulate rav affairs for death. I 



THE EFFECTS OF MY POISONED WOUND. 285 

asked that the consul-general of France, my excellent friend 
A.dolphe Barrot, should be sent for. 

Adolphe I knew to be a man of true heart and affection, 
and to him I recommended my poor boy. He promised to 
take care of him as if he were his own son, to take him to 
France, and to give him over to my family. 

Lastly a good Dominican friar came, and with him I had 
several long conferences, and after he had dispensed to me the 
consolations of his ministry, he gave me extreme unction. 
Everything was done according to the customary form, and 
nothing was wanting but my death. 

However, amidst all these preparations, I alone was not so 
eager ; and, although in excessive anguish, I preserved my 
presence of mind, and declared I should not die. Was it 
courage ? Was it great confidence in my strength and robust 
health, which made me believe in my recovery ? Was it a 
presentiment, or was it an inward voice which told me : " The 
doctors are wrong, and how great will be their surprise to- 
morrow on finding me better '? " In short, I did not wish to die ; 
for, according to my system, my will ought to stop the order of 
nature, and to make me survive all imaginable pain. 

The following day I was better : the doctors found my 
pulse regular, and without any intermitting symptom. Some 
days afterwards the poison passed out to my skin : my whole 
body was covered with a miliary eruption, and thenceforth I 
was safe. My recovery was very gradual, and for more than a 
year I felt acute pains in my breast. 

During the course of my illness I received the kindest 
attention from my fellow-countrymen, and in general from all 
the Spanish inhabitants of Manilla ; and here I ought to state, 
to the praise of the latter class, that during twenty years spent 



286 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

in the Philippines, I always found amongst those with whom 
I had dealings, a great nobleness of soul and a devotedness fre6 
from egotism. I shall never forget the kindnesses I received 
from this noble race, for which I entertain feelings of the 
warmest gratitude. To me, every Spaniard is a brother ; and 
to him I shall always be happy to prove that his countrymen 
have not conferred obligations on an ungrateful character. I 
hope the reader will pardon me for having quitted my subject 
for a short time to fulfil the duty of gratitude ; but are they 
not my recollections which I am detailing ? * 



* Gratitude here requires that I should name some of those to whom I 
am specially indebted for marks of affection and kindness. It would be 
indeed ungrateful on my part to forget them, and I beg them to accept this 
proof of my recollections. 

The Governors of tlie Philippines to whom I owe these remembrances 
are : — Generals Martinis, Ricafort, Torres Enrile, Camba, and Salazar ; in 
the various administrations of the colony, the Judges (Oidores) Don Inigo 
Asaola, Otin-i Doazo, Don MatiasMier, Don Jacobo Varela, administrator- 
general of the liquors; Don Jose de la Fuente, commissary of the engi- 
neers, who lendei'ed me innumerable kindnesses; Colonel Don Thomas de 
Murieta, corregidor of Tondoc ; the colonel of engineers, Don Mariano 
Goicochea ; the Colonel-Commandant Lante Eomana ; the Governor of 
the province, Don Jose Atienza; the brothers RamoS, sons of the judge ;■ 
all the family Calderon ; that of Seneris ; Don Balthazar Mier, Don Jose 
Ascaraga ; and lastly my friend, Don Domingo Roxas, whose son, Don 
Mariano Eoxas, after having received a solid and brilliant education at 
Manilla, came to travel in Europe. He has acquired the most extensive 
information in the sciences and arts, and when he shall have returned to 
the Philippine Islands, he will most worthily replace his dignified father, 
whom a premature death has snatched away from the industry, the agri- 
culture, and the advancement of his counti-y. If gratitude has induced me 
to mention here the Spaniards from whom I experienced many acts of 
kindness, the same feeling compels me to allude to an English gentleman 
to whom I was indebted for one of those important services which are 
never to be forgotten. I allude to Mr. Thomas Dent, with whom I have 
frequently conversed upon our hunting parties at Jala-Jala, in which he 
was occasionally one of the principal actors. 



ILLNESS OF MY SON. 387 

The wisli to undertake, together with my boy, the voyage 
which would restore me to my country; the hope of seeing 
my kind good mother, my sisters, and all the friends whom I 
had left behind, reconciled me somewhat to existence, and 
made me experience a little happiness. I was awaiting with 
impatience the time for embarking ; but, alas ! my mission was 
not yet terminated in the Philippines, and a new catastrophe, 
quickly opened afresh all my sorrows, 

I was scarcely recovered, when my dear boy — my sole de- 
light the last beloved being that remained to me on this earth, so 
fruitful in joys, and still so destructive of them — my poor 
Henry fell suddenly ill, and his disease made the most rapid 
progress. My friends immediately foreboded that a great mis- 
fortune would befall me. I alone did not know the state in 
which my child really was. I loved him with such an ardent 
passion, that I beUeved it impossible that Providence would 
deprive me of him. My medical attendant, or rather my 
friend. Genu, advised me to take him to Jala-Jala, where his 
native air and the country, as he said, would without doubt 
promote his recovery. I liked the advice, for so many persons 
had recovered their health at Jala-Jala that I hoped for my 
child a similar good result. I set out with him and his 
governess ; the voyage was one of sadness, for I saw my poor 
boy continually suffering, without being able to afford him any 
relief. 

On our arrival Vidie came to receive us, and in a few 
moments I occupied, with my Henry, the room which bi ought 
to my remembrance two very sorrowful losses — the death of 
my little daughter and that of my beloved Anna. It was, more- 
over, in that very room my Henry was bom, — a cruel association 
of the happiest moments of my existence with that when I was 



288 TWENTY TEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES 

bewailing the state of my beloved boy. Nevertheless, I did not 
altogether despair, for I had hopes in my art and experience. 
T seated myself by his bedside, and did not leave him for a 
moment. I slept close to him, and I passed every day in 
administering the medicine and all the comforts in my power, 
but without any good result, or any relief fof his sufferings. I 
lost all hope, and on the ninth day after our arrival the dear 
boy expired in my arms. 

It is not possible for me to give an account of my feelings 
on this last trial. My heart was broken, rdy head on fire ! I 
became mad, and never did despair take such a hold on me. 
I listened to nothing but my sorrow ; and force became neces- 
sary to tear from my arms the mortal remains of my child. 

On the following day he was laid close to his mother, and 
another tomb was erected in the church of Jala- Jala. 

In vain did my friend Vidie endeavour to afford me con- 
solation, or to change the current of my aiSiction. Several times 
he tried to remove me from the fatal room, which I now 
looked upon as a scene of misfortunes, but he could not 
succeed. I hoped at the time — and I also thought that I too 
had a right— to die there, where my wife and my son had 
breathed their last sighs. My tears refused to flow, and even 
words failed me to express the full extent of my grief. An 
ardent fever, which devoured me, was far too slow for the 
eagerness of my wishes. In a moment of bewilderment, I was 
near committing the greatest act of cowardice which man can 
perpetrate against his Creator. I double-locked the door; 
I seized the poignard which I had so often used to protect 
my life, and pointed it against myself. I was already choosing 
the spot in which I should strike, in order by one blow to 
terminate my miserable existence. Mj arm, strengthened 



MY THOUGHTS IN MY DELIRIUM, *389 

by delirium, was about to smite my breast, when one sudden 
thought came to prevent me from consummating the crime which 
has no pardon — although the crime of despair. My mother, my 
poor mother, whom I had so much loved, my good mother pre- 
sented herself to my mind, and said to me : " Thou wouldst 
abandon me — I shall see thee no more !" I recollected then 
the words of Anna : " Go, and see thy mother again!" This 
thought changed my resolution completely. I threw the po- 
niard aside with horror, and fell on my bed quite exhausted. 
My eyes, which during many days had been dry and burning, 
were once again overflowing with tears, which removed the 
heaxj weight from my lacerated heart. 

The force of mind of which I stood so much in need was 
awakened again within me : I no longer thought of death, but 
of fulfilling my rigorous destiny. Calmed and relieved already 
by the abundant flow of tears, I gave myself wholly up to the 
idea of embracing my mother and my sisters. Then I wished 
to add the following pages to my journal. My head was not tho- 
roughly right. I shall translate what I then wrote in Spanish, 
which was my adopted and familiar language, in preference even 
to French, which I had scarcely spoken during twenty years : — 

" How have I strength to take this pen ? My poor boy ! — 
my son ! — my beloved Henry ! — is no more : his soul has flown to 
his Creator ! Oh, God ! pardon this complaint in my distress. 
What have I done to be thus cruelly afflicted ? My boy ! — 
my dear son ! — my only hope ! — my last happiness ! — I shall 
never again see thee ! Formerly I was happy ; I had my good 
Anna and my dear child ; but cruel fate soon tore my com- 
panion from me. My trouble was indeed great, and my afflic- 
tion was profound ; but thou wast still with me, Oh, my child ! 
and all my affections were concentrated in thee. With thy 



290 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

caresses thou didst dry my tears ; thy smile was like that of 
thy mother, and thy beautiful features reminded me of her, 
and in thee I found her again. But to-day, alas ! I have lost 
you both. What a void ! Oh, God ! what a solitude ! Oh ! I 
ought to die in this room which is the depository of all my 
misfortunes. Here I bewailed my poor brother ; here I closed 
the eyes of my daughter ; here, also, Anna, when dying, bade 
me, bathed in tears, her last adieus ; and here at last, thou, 
my son, they tore thee from my arms, to lay thee near the ashes 
of thy mother. 

"So many afflictions and so many troubles for one man ! 
Oh, God of goodness and mercy, will you not restore to me 
my poor child ? Alas ! I scarcely feel that T am mistaken : 
but He will pity my bewilderment — he who has been beloved 
and who has seen carried off, one by one, all the elements of 
his happiness. As for me, an isolated being, and henceforward 
useless on this earth, it matters little where I shall sink under 
the weight of my afflictions. If it was not from the hope of 
seeing my mother and sisters, I should terminate my wretched 
existence, my grave should be with you — you all ! — whom I 
loved so much. I should remain near you, and during the 
rest of my miserable existence I should every day visit your 
tombs ! But no ; a sacred duty obliges me to leave you, and 
to separate for ever from you. Cruel ! Oh, cruel indeed will be 
the hour when I shall depart from you. And thou my beloved, 
my good, excellent wife, my Anna, thy last words shall be 
accomplished. I will set out, but regret and grief accom- 
pany me during the voyage ; my heart and my memory will 
remain at Jala-Jala. Oh ! land bedewed with my sweat, with 
my blood, and with my tears ! when fate brought me to thy 
shores thou wast covered with dismal forests which this dav 



KIND SYMPATHY OF MY FKIEND VIDIE. 291 

have given place to I'ich harvests : among thy inhabitants order, 
abundance, and prosperity have laken the place of debauchery 
and misery. My efforts were crowned with full success ; all 
was prosperity around me. Alas ! I was too happy ! But 
while misfortune strikes me down and overwhelms me, it will 
have stricken me alone, my work will outlive me. You will be 
happy, Oh, my friends ! and if I myself have been so in con- 
tributing to your welfare, let a thought sometimes awaken your 
feelings towards him to whom you often gave the name of 
' Father;' and if you preserve gratitude towards him. Oh, take a 
religious care of the tombs, trebly dear to him, which he now 
intrusts to you." 

My readers will pardon this melancholy and long lamenta- 
tion ; they \dll understand it if they examine with care my 
position. Separated from my country by five thousand five 
hundred leagues, the stroke of fate which laid all my cherished 
hopes in the dust was the more acutely felt as it was unexpected. 
I had no relatives in the Philippines ; in France alone I might 
yet find some affections ; and, at the moment of quitting Jala- 
Jala for ever, the idea of parting with my Indians — attached, 
devoted, as they were to me — was an additional grief to the, 
many which overpowered me. Thus I could not resolve to 
acquaint them beforehand of this separation. I remained in 
my room, without quitting it even at meal times. My friend 
Vidie did everything possible to prepare me for these adieus, 
and to console me. He pressed me to start speedily for 
Manilla, and to make arrangements for my departure ; but an 
irresistible force retained me at Jala-Jala. I was weak ; my 
heart was so crushed by sorrows that I had no courage to 
adopt any resolutions. I put it off from day to day, and from 
day to day I was more undecided. An unexpected occasion 



393 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

was necessary in order to conquer my apathy ; it was requisite 
also to triumph over me by sentiments of gratitude — senti- 
ments which I could never resist. 

On this occasion the motive which decided my departure 
was furnished by Providence. I had a friend in Manilla, a 
lady of angelic goodness, gentleness, and devotedness. United 
from the period of my arrival in the most intimate manner 
with all her family, I had known her as a child, and after- 
wards married to a highly honourable man, of whom when 
she was subsequently bereaved, I afforded her all the consola- 
tions which the sincerest friendship could offer. She was a 
witness of the happiness which I enjoyed with my dear Anna, 
and, hearing that I was unhappy, she did not hesitate to under- 
take a long journey, and in her turn to come and take a part 
in my troubles. The excellent Dolores Seneris arrived one 
morning at Jala-Jala; she threw herself into my arms, and 
for some moments tears alone were the interpreters of our 
thoughts. When we recovered from our first emotions, she 
told me that she had come to take me away, and she herself 
made the preparations for my departure. I was too grateful 
for this proof of the friendship of the good Dolores not to 
acquiesce in her wishes, and it was decided that on the follow- 
ing day I should quit Jala-Jala for ever. 

The report was soon spread among my Indians. They all 
came to bid me farewell : they wept, and they said to me : 

" Oh, master, do not deprive us of all hope of seeing you 
again. Go, and receive consolation from your mother, and then 
return to your children." That day was filled with most dis- 
tressing feelings. 

The day following was Sunday. I went to say adieu to 
the remains of those whom I had loved even in their tombs. 



MY FINAL DEPARTURE FROM JALA-JALA. 393 

I heard for the last time the divine service in the modest 
little church which I had erected, and in which for a long 
time, surrounded hy my dearest friends, I was happy to as- 
semble, on the same day of the week, the small congregation 
of Jala- Jala. 

After the service I proceeded to the beach, where the boat 
was waiting, which was to take me to Manilla. There — sur- 
rounded by my Indians, the good parish priest. Padre Miguel, 
and my friend Vidie — I bade adieu to them all for the last time. 
Dolores and I got into the boat, which was scarcely pushed 
off from the shore when every arm was stretched out towards 
me, and everyone exclaimed : — " May your voyage be happy, 
master! And, oh! return soon! " 

One of the oldest Indians made a sign for silence, and 
then in a loud voice uttered these solemn words : — " Brothers, 
let us weep and pray, for the sun is obscured to us; the 
star which is going has shed light on our best days, and 
now for the future, being deprived of that light, we cannot tell 
how long will last the night in which we are plunged by the 
misfortune of his departure." 

This exhortation of the old Indian were the last words that 
reached us : the boat moved away as I, for the last time, fixed 
my eyes on the beloved land which I was never again to behold. 

We reached Manilla late : it was one of those enchanting 
nights, which I have described in the happy period of my 
voyages. Dolores insisted that I should not lodge in any 
house but hers. Before she set out her careful friendship 
had provided for everything. I was surrounded by all those 
little attentions of which woman alone has the secret, and 
which she knows how to confer with such ^race on him who 
is the object for whom they are designed. 



894 TWENTY YEAES IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

My windows looked on the pretty river Pasig. I there 
passed whole days in looking at tho graceful Indian canoes 
gliding over the water, and receiving the visits of my friends, 
who came with eagerness to endeavour to divert my thoughts, 
and to afford sources of pleasing conversation. 

When I was alone I sought to dispel my melancholy by 
thinking of my voyage ; on the happiness I should experience 
on seeing again my poor mother and sisters, a brother-in-law 
whom I did not know, and nieces bom during my absence. 

The obligation of returning the visits I received, and the 
re-establishment of my health, allowed me at length to enter 
into affairs connected with my departure. 

My friend Adolphe Barrot, consul-general of France, was 
every day in expectation of intelligence from his government, 
with orders for his return home. He proposed to me to wait for 
him, so that we might make the voyage together. I accepted 
the proposal with pleasure, and we decided amongst ourselves 
that, for our return, we should take the route of India, of the 
Eed Sea, and of Egypt. 

While I stayed at Manilla I did not wish to be idle. The 
Spaniards reminded me that at a former epoch I had carried 
on the art of medicine, and with great success. I soon had 
patients from all quarters of the island, and I resumed my 
old profession, and gave advice. But what difference between 
this time and that of my debut. Then I was young, full of 
strength and of hope ; then I indulged in the illusions usual to 
youth ; a long future of happiness presented itself to my ima- 
gination. Now, overwhelmed by the weight of troubles and of 
the laborious works I had executed, there was only one wish 
to excite me, and that was, to see France again ; and yet my 
recollections took me continually back to Jala-Jala. Poor little 



I BESUME PRACTICE AT MAKILLA. 295 

comer of the globe, which I civilised ! where my best years 
were spent in a life of labour, of emotions, of happiness, and of 
bitterness ! Poor Indians ! who loved me so much ! I was 
never to see you again ! We were soon to be separated by the 
immensity of the ocean. 

Eeflections and recollections beyond number thus occupied 
my mind. But, alas ! it is vain to struggle against one's destiny; 
and Providence, in its impenetrable views, was reserving me for 
rude trials and fresh misfortunes. 

Having again become a doctor at Manilla, where I had 
such difficulty at my commencement, I visited patients from 
morning until night. To Dolores and to her sister Trinidad 
I was indebted for the most touching and most delicate atten- 
tions, calculated to heal the wounds which were still bleeding in 
the bottom of my heart. I frequently saw the two sisters of 
my poor wife, Joaquina and Mariquita, as well as my young 
niece, the daughter of excellent Josephine, for whom I had 
entertained so warm a friendship, and who so soon followed 
my darling Anna to the grave. By little and little I was 
forming new ties of affection, which I was soon j^ break, and 
never afterwards to renew. I could not forget Jala-Jala, and 
my recollections never quitted that place where were deposited 
the remains of those whom of all the world I had most loved. 
My eager wishes induced me to hope that my work of coloni- 
sation should continue, and that my friend Vidie should find 
some compensation for the rough task he had undertaken. At 
this period, even while I remained in Manilla, a great misfor- 
tune was nearly the cause of throwing Jala-Jala back into its 
former state of barbarism. The bandits, who always respected 
tiie place while I was in possession of it, came one night to 
attack it, and made themselves masters of the house in which 



996 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

Vidie had shut himself up, and defended until he was forced 
to escape out of a window, and to run and hide in the woods, 
leaving his daughter, then verj young, to the care of an Indian 
nurse. The handits pillaged and shattered everything in the 
house ; wounded his daughter by a sabre-cut, of which to this 
day she bears the marks ; and then went off with the plunder 
they had made. But Jala-Jala had become too important a 
point to be neglected ; and the Spanish government sent 
troops to it, to protect Vidie, and to maintain order. 

At last, Adolphe Barrot received from the French govern- 
ment the long awaited instructions to return home ; all my 
preparations were made for setting out. It was in 1839 : 
twenty years had passed over since I left my country, which I 
was now about to return to with satisfaction. For a long time I 
had received no news from my mother, and the pleasure which 
I anticipated from seeing her was troubled by the dread of 
having new sorrows to experience on my arrival. My mother 
was then very old ; her life had been passed in long tribulations, 
and in complete sacrifice of self. The numerous moral troubles 
which she had gone through must have affected her state of 
health. Besides, I had been so unfortunate : fate seemed to 
have so roughly treated all my affections, that I could not 
refrain from thinking that I should never again see her for 
whom I abandoned my much loved country. The day for 
sailing came ; yet it was not without a heartfelt grief that I 
tore myself away from my friends, and bade adieu to the 
Philippines. 

Here ought to terminate the account which I proposed : 
yet I cannot refrain from dedicating a few lines to my return 
to my native land. 



MY TEAVELS ON MY WAY TO FRANCE. 297 

On board various vessels I passed the coasts of India, the 
Persian Gulf, and the Eed Sea. 

After having often admired the grand works of nature, 1 
felt a strong desire to see the gigantic works executed by the 
hand of man. 

I went to Thebes, and there visited in detail its palaces, 
its tombs, and its monolithes. I descended the Nile., stopping 
at every place which contained any monuments worthy of my 
curiosity. I ascended one of the Pyramids. I passed several 
days in Cairo, and set out for Alexandria, where I embarked 
anew, to pass over the small space of sea which separated me 
from Europe. 

I have sometimes wished to compare the grandest of 
human productions with the works of the Creator; the com- 
parison is by no means favourable to the former, for all those 
useless ornaments are nothing but lasting proofs of pride, and 
of the fanaticism of a few men, who were obeyed by a people 
in slavery. I also saw all that remained of the traces of 
destruction committed by two of the greatest conquerors of the 
world : the first was but a haughty despot, causing cohorts of 
slaves to act as he pleased, and carrying the sword and de- 
struction amongst peaceful people, to profane their tombs, to 
follow up useless conquests, — history afterwards shows him 
dying of an orgie ; and the othetj alas ! was enchained to a 
rock. 

From the summit of one of the Pyramids, in religious 
abstraction, I had contemplated the majestic Nile, which 
glides serpent-like through a vast plain, bordered by the Desert 
and arid mountains. Looking, then, below me, I could with 
difficulty descry some of my travelling companions, who were 
gazing at the Sphynx, and who appeared like little spots on 



298 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES, 

the sand. And I then exclaimed : " It is not these useless 
monuments that we ought to admire, but rather this magnifi- 
cent river, which, in obedience to the laws of all-powerful 
wisdom, overflows eveiy year, at a fixed period, its limits, and 
spreads itself, like a vast sea, to water and to vivify these im- 
mense plains, which are afterwards covered with rich harvests. 
If this immutable and beneficent order of nature did not en- 
dure, all these fertile districts would be but a desert waste, 
where no living creature could exist." 

These reflections took their origin, without doubt, from my 
having spent almost all my life amidst those grand creations 
of Nature, from which man continually derives sentiments that 
elevate him to the Supreme Being. I had studied that Nature 
— in all her details, her beneficence, and her magnificence — too 
attentively to allow the productions of man's genius to make 
upon me the impression which I thought might be expected, 
when I first formed a wish to see the monuments of Egypt ; 
and, while sailing for Europe, I already anticipated the feeling, 
that a short sojourn in the midst of civilisation would cause 
me to regret my ancient freedom, my mountains, and my soli- 
tudes in the Philippine Islands. 

On arrival at Malta I was for eighteen days locked up in 
Fort Manuel, and then passed the quarantine. I there re- 
ceived news of my family. My mother and sisters wrote to 
me that they were in the enjoyment of excellent health, and 
were awaiting with impatience my coming to them. After the 
quarantine was over, I stopped nearly a week in the city, 
while waiting for a steamer that was going to France. I 
embraced the opportunity of seeing every curiosity in the 
island. I then resumed my voyage to my native land, and 
the following week I recognised the arid rocks of Pro 



1 AT LAST KEACH FRANCE. 299 

vence and France, from whicli I had been absent for twenty 
years. 

In a few days I readied Nantes, where for some time I 
enjoyed, in every respect, all the happiness which one feels 
when with those beloved beings from whom one had been long 
severed, and who formed the last living ties of affection for an 
unhappy being who had been severely tried by a capricious 
destiny. But the want of excitement in which I lived soon 
became irksome ; my life had been too active, so that the 
sudden transition could not fail to prove injurious to my health, 
and the idea of submitting during the remainder of my exist- 
ence to a life sterile and monotonous became intolerable. 
Not knowing how to employ myself, I resolved to travel 
through Europe, and to study the civilised world, which was 
then so strange to me. I travelled through France, England, 
Belgium, Spain, and Italy, and returned to my family, without 
being able to discover anything that could induce me to forget 
my Indians, Jala- Jala, and my solitary excursions in the 
virgin forests. The society of men reared in extreme civilisa- 
tion could not efface from my memory my past modest life. 
Notwithstanding all my efforts, I retained in my heart a fund 
of sadness, which it was not possible to conceal. My kind- 
hearted mother, who with deep regret observed my repugnance 
to establish myself in any part of the country, and who enter- 
tained fears, perhaps well-founded ones, that I should yet 
endeavour to go back to the Philippines, used every means to 
prevent me. She spoke to me of marriage ; and in all her 
letters repeated that she should not be happy until I agreed 
to enter into the ties of a new union : she said my name would 
otherwise become extinct, and, as hei last consolation, she 
asked me to allow her to choose a companion for me. 



300 TWENTY YEARS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 

The wish to satisfy her, and also the remembrance of 
Anna's last words : " Ketiu'n to thy country, and marry one of 
thy countrywomen," decided my resolution. 

I soon made choice of one, who would have fully rendered 
a man happy who had not too freq[uently before him the re- 
membrance of a previous union. Nevertheless, I was as happy 
as I could be. My new wife possessed every quality necessary 
for my happiness. By her I became father of two children, 
and I began to bless the determination which my mother had 
contributed so much to make me adopt ; but, alas ! happiness 
was never for me lasting ; the cup of bitterness was not yet 
exhausted, and I had still to shed many tears. 

In the cemetery of Vertoux, a modest tomb for thee, poor 
mother ! is erected, between that of a husband and a son ; and 
soon after another grave was opened at Neuilly. In profound 
aflBiction I had the following lines engraved on the latter : 

" YeUle, du baut des cieux, sur ta triste famille ; 
Couserve-moi ton fils et revis dans ta fille."* 



' From Heaven's height look down and see 
The sorrows of thy fiimily ; 
Preserve for me tliy only boy, 
And in tJij daughter give me joy." 



STATISTICS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, 



The Philippines are a large group of islands in the North Pacific 
Ocean, and were discovered by Magellan in 1521; they were afterwards 
taken possession of by the Spaniards, in the reign of Philip II., from whom 
they take their name. The islands are said to be eleven hundred in 
number, but some hundreds of them are very small, and all are nominally 
subject to the Spanish government at Manilla. 

In order to give the reader an idea of their riches, and the vast resources 
they can furnish to Spain, I shall here give some details of the division 
of the country into provinces, with the number of towns contained in each, 
of the population, and of the various branches of industry exercised by the 
Indians, and, finally, a description of the principal agricultural products. 

Division op all the Philippines into Provinces and Market- 
town Districts, and their Population, according to the 
Census taken in 1833. 



Provinces. 


Number of Toums, 


Population) 


Tondo 


30 


285,030 


Bulacan 


19 


IST.VSS 


Panpanga ... 


26 


182,360 


Bataan 


10 


38,920 


Zamhales ... 


15 


39,510 


Pangasinan 


31 


215,635 


Ilocos (South) 


23 


206,085 


Hocos (North) 


14 


190,160 


Islas Batanes 


3 


800 


Cagayan ... 


34 


107,600 


Nueva Ecija 


15 


23,285 


Laguna 


33 


135,810 


Batangas ... 


13 


196,695 


Oavite 


10 


83,010 




Carried forward 


1,892,635 



306 STATISTICS OF THE 



Provinces. Numier of Towns. 


Population. 




Brought forward 


1,892,636 


Ta3?abas 


le 


77,316 


Camarinco (^orth) 


11 


23,035 


Camarinco (South) 


27 


18Y,315 


Albai 


38 


139,595 


Zamboanga 


2 


10,000 


Misamis 


23 


35, 180 


Caraga 


30 


32,510 


Leite 


31 


91,275 


Samar 


28 ... , ... 


92,730 


Zebou 


38 


203,555 


Isla de NegTos 


23 


60,980 


Ilaila 


31 


232,055 


Antique 


11 


78,250 


Capis 


22 


115,440 


Calamianes 


12 


20,730 


Mindoro 


8 


41,190 



3,345,790 

In tnis number — 3,346,790 — of inhabitants, which constitute all the 
population under the Spanish Grovemment, are comprised from 25,000 to 
30,000 Chinese. Exclusive of this population there exist unknown 
numbers of Indians, who, to avoid the payment of taxes, have found means 
to escape from the census ; and also the wild savages in the interior of 
the island of Luzon, whose number there is no means of knowing. 

Mechanical and Agricultural Products. 

The Philippines yield every colonial product that man can desire. There 
are abundant crops of rice, coffee, sugar, indigo, tobacco, cotton, cacao, 
abaca, or vegetable silk, pepper, gums, cocoa-nuts, dye-woods, timber 
of all descriptions for furniture and for buildings, rattans of various kinds, 
and all the agreeable fruits of the tropics. On the shores are found 
nacre, or mother of pearl, magnificent pearls, birds'-nests, shells of every 
description, an incredible quantity of excellent fish, and the trepang, or 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 807 

balatd, a sea-worm, or animal substance, found on the shores of the 
Philippine Islands, resembling a large pudding. The Chinese are very 
fond of it, and mix it with fowl and vegetables. 

The inhabitants practise various kinds of industry ; they weave matting 
of extraordinary fineness and of the brightest colours, straw hats, cigar 
cases, and baskets ; they manufacture cloth and tissues of every sort 
from cotton, silk, and abaca ; they, from filaments taken from the leaves 
of the etuana, make cambric of a texture much finer than that of France ; 
and they also manufacture coarse strong cloth for sails, &c., and ropes and 
cables of all dimensions ; they tan and dress leather and skins to perfec- 
tion ; they manufacture coarse earthenware, and forge and polish arms of 
various kinds ; they build ships of heavy tonnage, and also light and neat 
boats ; and at Manilla they frame and finish-off beautiful carriages ; they 
are also very clever workers in gold, silver, and copper ; and the Indian 
women are specially expert in needlework, and in all kinds of embroidery. 



Of the Soil of the Island of Luzon, and the Sources op its 
Fertility. 

The island of Luzon is the largest of the Philippines, and extends from 
north to south for the length of about six degrees. It is divided throughout 
its whole extent by a chain of mountains, which in general owe their 
formation to volcanic eruptions. Traces are found throughout of the great 
convulsions produced by subterraneous fires, and in proof of this theory 
I shall make some observations which demonstrate it. 

In the middle of the lake of Bonbon, in the province of Batangas, the 
volcano of Taal is always in combustion ; and, although during many years 
there has been no eruption, enormous clouds of smoke are continually 
ascending from its vast crater. From this mountain to that of Mainit 
(signifying "hot"), a distance of about five or six leagues, there is sub- 
terraneous communication, for this latter mountain is always threatening 
great eruptions, and at its summit there are various chinks, occasionally emit- 
ting a thick smoke, and sometimes flames. At its base, in the part bathed 
by the waters of the lake of Bay, which is distant from ten to twelve 
lengTies from the lake of Bonbon, there are numbers of thermal springs, that 



308 STATISTICS OF THE 

burst forth at the temprature of boiling water. AH these springs, the 
waters of which discharge themselves into the lake, emit a great quantity 
of vapour, so that, from a distance, one might imagine the lake to be 
always boiling. 

At about from three to four miles in the lake of Bay the little island 
of Socolme is to be seen ; it is formed of a circular cordon of land, elevated 
above the water from twelve to fifteen hundred feet, and in the middle 
of this cordon is the little lake of the same name, which is evidently 
nothing but an extinct crater, into which the water has penetrated. 

In the provinces of Laguna and Batangas there is the high mountain 
called Maijai, one of the loftiest in Luzon, which is beyond doubt an 
ancient crater ; on the summit a little lake is found, the depth of which 
cannot be measured. At some period the lava that then flowed from the 
summit towards the base, in the neighbourhood of the town of Nacarlan, 
covered up immense cavities, which are now recognisable by the sonorous 
noise of the ground for a great extent; and sometimes it happens that, 
in consequence of an inundation or an earthquake, this volcanic crust 
is in some places broken, and exposes to the view enormous caverns, 
which the Indians call "the mouths of hell." 

Finally, in the district about the town of San Pablo, which is situated 
on the mountains, are found great numbers of .little circular lakes and 
immense heaps of rotten stones, basalt, and different descriptions of lava, 
which show that all these lakes are nothing else than the craters of old 
volcanoes. Altogether the soil to the southward, in the province of 
Albai, is completely volcanic, and the frequent eruptions of the volcano 
bearing that name may, as the natives say, be attributed to the same 
cause as the earthquakes so often felt in the island of Luzon. 

Over almost the whole of these mountains, where fire has thus played 
so conspicuous a part, there is a great depth of vegetable earth, and they 
are covered with a most splendid vegetation. Their declivities nourish 
immense forests and fine pastures in which ^row gigantic trees — palm 
trees, rattans, and lianas of a thousand kinds, or gramineous plants of 
various sorts, particularly the wild sugar cane, which rises to the height of 
from nine to twelve feet from the ground ; in their interior are rich mines 
of copper, gold, iron, and coal. 

There are two distinct and strongly marked seasons in the island of 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 309 

Luzon, namely, the rainy or the wintry season, and the dry or summer 
reason. For six months of the year — that is from, June to Decem- 
ber — the wind blows from the south-west to the north-east, and then the 
declivities of the mountains and all the western side of the island are in the 
season of the rains ; in the six other months, the wind changes, and blows 
from the north-east to the south-west, when all the eastern parts of the 
island have the season of winter. 

During the rainy season, the incessant fall of rain on the mountains 
causes the rivers, both large and small, to overflow and to become torrents, 
that rush down upon the plains, covering them with water, and depositing 
the broken earth and slime which they have gathered in their course. 

In the dry season, water is supplied for irrigation from reservoirs, 
'which are carefully filled during the rains. Prom these causes it follows 
that, without any manuring, and with scarcely any improvement from 
human industry, the soil of the Philippines is as fertile as any in the 
world; so that, without great labour, the cultiyator has most abundant 
harvests. 

The different products — of the cultivation of which I shall now give a 
description— are rice, wheat, a vast variety of leguminous vegetables, 
indigo, tobacco, vegetable silk, coffee, cacao, cotton, pepper, bamboos — 
which grow almost without any culture — and, lastly, the cocoa-nut tree. 



IL 

ElCE. 

There are more than thirty kinds of rice cultivated in the Philippines, 
all quite distinct in taste, in form, in colour, and in the weight of the 
grain. These are divided into two classes — first, the mountain rice ; 
and second, the aquatic rice. They are cultivated differently, although 
the mountain rice may be treated in the same manner as the aquatic 
crop. 

Culture of Mountain Rice. 

The mountain rice is cultivated in high lands, not exposed to the dan- 
ger of inundation during the rains. The following are the names of the 



310 STATISTICS OF THE 

different descriptions : — Pinursegui, Lanlan-Sanglay, Quinarayon, Pinu- 
rutung, Quinamalig-Pinuliit, Mangasarag-Puti, Binuriri, Pinagocpoc, 
Quinandanpula, Q.uinandanputi, Mangusa, Bolivon, Dinumero, Quina- 
bibao, Binoliti, Quiriquiri, Binulut-Cabayo, Dinulang, Macapilaypusa, 
Tinuma, Mangoles. 

In the western part of the island of Luzon, as soon as the first rains fall, 
towards the end of May or the beginning of June, the cultivator pre- 
pares the ground, by giving it two ploughings and two hari'owings. The 
plough represented by Fig. 1, p. 334, is the one employed for this purpose. 
The harrow is triangular, and like the one used in Prance. 

The lands being well prepared and well tilled, the rice is sown broad- 
east, and, after about a month, it is well hoed and weeded, which is usually 
sufficient for the removal of all the noxious weeds that have sprung up 
among the plants. 

If the crop be of the kind called Pinursegui, which is one of the 
earliest, the rice may be gathered in about three months or three months 
and a-half after it is sown ; if it be one of the other kinds, it is necessary, 
in order that the grain should come to full maturity, to wait for at least 
five months, after which the rice is cut down with a hook (see Fig. 3, 
p. 335), put in small sheaves, of which large cocks are made, to wait for 
several fine days, in order to separate the grain fi-om the straw. This 
operation is performed by means of buffaloes, which are kept moving 
round in a large area, or thrashing-floor, on which the rice is spread ; or 
else on bamboo trellises, raised perhaps ten feet from the ground, on 
which an Indian tramples with his feet over the rice sheaves as they 
are handed up to him, and the grain falls through the interstices of the 
trellis work. 

Mountain rice is sometimes sown without any ploughing. 

Culture of Rice for Clearing-Grounds, 

After the trees or brushwood which had covered the land are cut down, 
they are burned, and then rice is sown, by making, with a stick or dibble, 
a hole, into which are thrown three or four iirains of rice ; or perhaps the 
rice is sown broadcast, and then, for about a month, a herd of buffaloes is 
kept on the ground, so that they, by trampling, sink the seed into the 
earth. In this kind of tillage, from the abundance of grass and weeds, 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 811 

several hoeings and weedings become necessary ; but the labour is amply 
repaid by an abundant crop, which generally yields a hundred-fold and 
upwards. 

In the small fields the ears are cut-singly, in order afterwards to dry 
them in the sun. This mode of gathering the crop is troublesome and 
tedious, but it has this advantage over the process of collecting in heaps, 
that a great deal of the grain is saved from the voracious birds. 

All the other kinds of mountain rice are sown in the same manner as 
that called Pinursegui, but this last has the advantage of being fit for har- 
vesting in twelve or fourteen weeks, while the others require twenty weeks. 

Culture of Aquatic Rice. 

There are ten kinds of aquatic rice : — Macabunutdila, Macon, Macan, 
Soulucay, Macon-Sulug, Macon-Muriti, Macon-Susoy, Macay-Bucave, 
Malaquit-Puti, and Malaquit-Pula. 

They are all cultivated in a similar manner in China and Lombardy. 

The two last kinds, Malaquit-Puti and Malaquit-Pula, do not serve for 
every-day food ; the one grain is a dead white, while the other is per- 
vaded by a fine violet colour. They are both used in general for delica- 
cies, and to make a kind of paste, a substitute for starch. 

All these kinds of rice are first raised in seed-beds, from which they 
are transplanted into lands properly prepared for them. For a superficies 
of 40,000 yards it takes about 750 lbs. of seed. 

Seed-Beds, * 

When the first rains fall in June, the ground is prepared for the seed. 
It is first covered with from six to eight inches of water, and then it is 
well ploughed, and the comb-harrow is passed over it (see Fig. 4, p. 335) 
until it is reduced into liquid mud ; it is then left to let the water drain off. 
The seed is then cast over it ; but, previous to being sown, the seed is gene- 
rally steeped in water for twenty-four hours, in order to promote its vegeta- 
tion. When the ground is entirely covered with seed, a board of about a 
yard and arhalf or two yards in breadth is passed over the whole surface, 
for the purpose of sinking the grains in the mud, and of covering them. 

For five or six days it is not useful to irrigate them ; but if, when 



312 STATISTICS OF THE 

the plants have risen some inches above ground, the drought is very- 
great, it will be necessary to supply them with water, taking always great 
care never to cover the young leaves, for under water they would all 
perish. 

Transplanting. 

"Forty or forty-five days after the seed has been put into the earth, the 
rice plants are fit to be transplanted; the land in which they are to 
be fixed is divided into large squares, and surrounded by little raised paths, 
which serve to confine the water with which it must be completely covered ; 
it is then again ploughed, and, as has been done for the seed sowing, by 
means of the comb-harrow it is reduced into a state of liquid mud, and on 
the following day the water is let off, and the plants are got ready to be 
placed in it. 

It is usual to have men to take up the plants, and women to fix them in 
the earth. Two men are enough for this work ; one of them pulls the 
plants, and the other removes them to the planting-ground, which is never 
far off, and distributes them to the women planting there. The man who 
is occupied with pulling the plants has before him a little table, fixed in 
the earth by a stake, and a large quantity of small bamboo strings, which 
he carries fastened to his waist, as gardeners in Prance carry rushes when 
they are pruning trees. He pulls up the plants without much precaution, 
and, laying them on the table, cuts off the long roots and the leaves, and 
makes them into little bundles of the thickness of his arm, and lays them 
in a kind of sliding car, drawn by buffaloes, which the other Indian leads 
to the planting-ground, and throws the bundles about in all directions on 
the prepared land, only separating them so that the women planters may 
take them up by stretching out their arms, without having to quit the 
lines that they are following in the planting. 

All the women planting are up to the calf of the leg in the mud ; 
they follow each one a line, and, moving backwards, take up the little 
bundles which are thrown behind them, undo the tying, separate the 
plants from each other, and then, with their thumbs, stick the plants, one 
by one, into the mud, at a distance of from four to six inches from 
each other. They are so used to this practice of planting as to do it with 
the greatest rapidity, and with such perfectly regularity that one would 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 313 

be almost tempted to believe that they had a measure to guide them in 
their exact observance of the distances. 

When the planting is finished, and although the sun is burning hot, the 
rice field is not watered for eight or ten dajs, but as soon as the plants 
shoot up their green leaves, if there have not any rains fallen, they are 
irrigated, and the land is covered with two or three inches of water, and, 
in proportion to the growth of the plants, the water is increased. 

These lands are seldom weeded, but careful cultivators do not neglect 
every opportunity of removing the large noxious weeds which might 
damage the rice. 

When the rice has come to its full height — that is, from forty to fifty 
inches there is no longer any necessity for irrigation ; on the contrary, it 
would be rather injurious at the time when the plant is in flower. 

Sometimes, when the land is exceedingly fertile, the plants grow to the 
height of European wheat, and then they would have become all stalk ; 
to prevent this, and to force them to produce grain instead of straw, an 
Indian takes a long pole and, stretching it over the, plants, stamps on the 
middle of it, and thereby lays all the plants level on the earth, so that 
they seem as if flattened by violent winds. 

Four months after the transplanting — that is, about five months and 
a-half after the sowing — the rice is fully ripe and fit for being harvested. It 
is then cut with the sickle, by both men and women, and in proportion as 
the bundles of sheaves are large and many, they are gathered to a high 
spot, and made into cocks or ricks, to wait for the general carrying home. 

In some parts of the island of Luzon the first crop of rice is followed 
by a second planting of an early or precocious kind — that is, the mountain 
rice, called Pinursegui ; but then the sowing of the seed is effected before- 
hand, and in a quite different manner from that of which I have given a 
description. 

Three weeks or a month previous to gathering the first crop ofi^ the 
ground, the Indians place on the ponds and rivers little bamboo rafts, 
which they cover over with a deep layer of straw, and on the straw they 
make seed-beds; the grain sprouts, and the roots weave themselves in 
through the straw, and so reach the surface of the water, in order thence 
to draw nourishment. When the first crop is taker ofi" the ground 
and the field has received a ploughing, and has been prepared for the 



814 STATISTICS OF THE 

second planting, the seedlings are taken off the rafts by rolling up the 
straw — in the same manner as a mat is rolled up — and carried to the place 
then ready, and there the young plants are pulled, one by one, out of the 
straw, their long roots and leaves are cut off, and they are stuck in the 
earth. By this means in less than three months a second crop is obtained, 
which is by no means as abundant, it is true, as the first one, but which, 
notwithstanding, amply indemnifies the tiller for his toil. 

The Indian native of the Philippines has studied every way of pro- 
curing his natural food, and he makes use of every means that the fertile 
soil of his country offers, to gain that object. For that purpose he employs 
another mode to obtain, almost without labour, abundant crops. 

There is a kind of rice which is essentially an aquatic plant — the 
Macon- Sulug — and it yields abundantly, although continually bathed by 
water. In some parts of the island there are marshes and lakes of very 
little depth, and the Indians prepare for them seed-beds of this kind of 
rice, which has the property of shooting forth very long leaves. These 
seed-beds are prepared in the same manner as those of the other aquatic 
rice, and after six weeks' growth the plants are pulled up, and their roots 
shortened, but care is taken to preserve the leaves entire in all their length. 
The plants are then put on board the lightest boats, which are rowed by 
Indians into the shallow parts of the lake, where the men's arms can 
reach the bottom ; the plants are there stuck in the mud, and the leaves 
are allowed to swim on the surface. The plants soon become strong, and 
shoot up stalks — as if they were growing on earth — at the surface of 
the water. If by any accident the water is increased in the lake, the rice 
stalks shoot up in proportion to that increase, so that it can swim 
over the water, for it would perish where it wholly submerged. 

Four months after the transplanting, the crop is gathered in by the 
little boats, in which the Indians go from one part of the lake to another 
where any rice has been planted. 

All these kinds of aquatic rice yield most abundantly ; the poorest crop 
may be estimated at twenty-five, and the good at from sixty to eighty-told. 
There is, however, one scourge, which every seven or eight years, deprives the 
cultivator of the benefit of his labours and toils — I mean the locusts, which 
coming suddenly, like a dark cloud, alight on a field covered with luxuriant 
vegetation, and then suddenly ruin it, even to the very roots. Great droughts 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 315 

also destroy the rice fields of the mountains ; and it is for these reasons 
that the Indian says with such sincerity : " Give us sunshine, give us 
water, and keep away the locusts, then our crops are safe." 

III. 

Indigo. 

Culture and Crops. 

In various parts of the Philippines, and especially at Luzon, indigo is 
cultivated with success, yet this cultivation is that which runs most risks. 
Ead weather for a few days, and strong gales, often ruin all the crop. 
Sometimes, also, myriads of caterpillars devour all the leaves in a, few 
hours, and if any are left they are scarcely sufficient to defray the expense 
of the manufacturing process. But, if the season he favourable, it no acci- 
dents take place, and if that process is carried on with judgment, the high 
price of the indigo always indemnifies the grower. 

The cultivation begins immediately after the cold season, and before the 
great heats, and when there is no apprehension of the heavy rains : the 
land is got ready by two or three ploughings and harrowings, and when it 
is sufficiently tilled the seed is sown broad-cast. The plant shows itself 
over ground on the third or fourth day, and continues to shoot up while 
it finds any moisture, but if there be a drought it remains stationary 
during the time of its duration. As soon as the first rains fall, at the com- 
mencement of the south-west monsoon, on this side of the island, its growth 
is rapid and strong. But with it grow also the bad weeds, which it is 
necessary to eradicate by two or three careful hoeings. 

Two months and a-half after the first rains the plants have acquired 
their full size, and they are known to be fit for pulling when the leaves are 
thick, covered with a whitish velvety down, and are easily broken by the 
slightest pressure. They are usually thoroughly mature at the end of 
July — that is, in the middle of the rainy season ; but then, every preparation 
is made for their being properly handled, so that there will not be any 
blunder in the matter, and that the plants may not have time to cast off 
any portion of their leaves, which would occur if there was any delay. 

Tlie preparations, which are more or less considerable according to 



Si 6 STATISTICS OF TRV, 

the importance of the crop, consist in several batteries. Each of these 
batteries is composed of two large vats, from three yards to nearly 
three yards and a half in diameter, and three yards in depth, one 
of which is designed for the fermentation process, and the other for the 
beating or churning one. This last vat is a little smaller than the former. 
They are both placed on the brow of a rivulet, or of a river, in order to 
have the facility of obtaining water. The vat for fermentation ought to be 
placed on a spot somewhat higher than the other, so that, by means of 
cocks or spiggots, which are placed longitudinally, all the water contained 
in that vat may be easily removed into the churning one. There are also 
one or two buckets, placed at one end of long poles, with weights at the 
other end, which poles are placed across a wooden fork of two strong 
pieces, and raised some yards above the fermentation vat. This appa- 
ratus resembles very much in construction those which are to be seen along 
the banks of the Nile, and in Spain, and other parts of the south of Europe. 
Two long bamboos, having fastened at one end a small board, from five to 
six inches in length, and from two to three inches in breadth, are what 
may be called the beating or churning dashes. Lastly, there is a small 
vat under a shed, a little distance from the batteries, where there are 
articles for straining, made of coarse cotton cloth, and a small press for 
squeezing those articles, and large hurdles for drying the indigo. 

Every arrangement being thus made, the gathering-in is begun. On 
the first day, enough plants are cut down to allow the cutters to be always 
one day in advance of the vats. The plant is cut level to the earth with a 
kind of cutlass, which the Indian wears by his side, and is called bolo. If 
the after- season continues favourable, the plant sprouts afresh, and some- 
times produces two or three crops in the same year. 

Each battery is managed by two Indians, one fills the vat with the 
plants, and the other supplies the vat with water, and the two together 
beat or churn the produce. At a very early hour in the morning the 
fermentation vat is filled to the brim with plants, and they are kept down 
by pieces of wood, which are fastened in ledges or grooves on the inside of 
the vat : without this precaution the vnt would overflow. When it is full of 
plants and water, fermentation takes place in from twenty to twenty-four 
hours, according to the heat of the temperature. When the fermentation 
has reached its gi-eatest height, which is generally the next morning, tL 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. Si7 

plants are removed out of the vat, and care is taken that no water is re- 
moved with them, for which purpose they are well shaken. When nothing 
remains but the liquor, which is then of an emerald colour, the Indian puts 
a certain quantity of quick lime in a bucket of water, which he very care- 
fully pours it into the fermentation vat. The Indian then takes one of 
the beating or churning- dashes, and plunges to it the bottom of the 
vat, where he moves it about, so that the lime is circulated throughout 
the whole. He soon knows if he has put enough by the colour, which 
suddenly changes its shade; fi'om an emerald green it becomes a deep 
green, and the liquor appears to contain a number of little clots or 
globules, which are nothing but the indigo in a state of solution. The 
quantity of lime necessary for the operation cannot be calculated, but a 
man of experience can give a good guess. Upon this quantity entirely 
depends the quality of the product which is wished for, as well as the 
shade of colour required. 

After the lime has been mixed with the liquor it is left at rest for some 
minutes, during which all the particles not belonging to the indigo sink 
to the bottom of the vat, but the indigo remains suspended in the water. 
After a few minutes all the cocks and spiggots, over one another on 
the side of the vat, are gradually opened, and the liquor flows into the 
beating or churning vat. 

The fermentation vat is then cleared of the deposit from the lime, and 
every other thing remaining at the bottom, and is immediately filled 
with fresh plants for a new fermentation. 

Dm-ing the afternoon the beating or churning takes place. The two 
Indians take their dashes, and with all their force stir the liquor up from 
the bottom to the top, in order that the matter which forms the indigo 
may come into contact with the air, which renders it insoluble in the water. 
When the whole has acquired a fine blue colour the process is finished. 
Three or four hours afterwards, all the indigo contained in the liquor de- 
posits itself at the bottom of the vat, and then the cocks and spiggots, one 
above the other, are opened, to let the water flow off, and which does not 
then contain any colouring matter whatever. 

Each of these operations produces, on an average, about sixte.eu pounds 
of indigo. Every six days, when from two hundred and fifty to three hun- 
dred pounds are collected, they are taken out of the vat, atid removed to a 





318 STATISTICS OF THE 

much smaller vat, placed near the drainers. The product is left for some 
tune, and all the water is drawn off by a syphon. At length, when there 
is no more to he drawn off, the indigo appears to he a sort of mud, it is 
put into the drainers, where it finishes the dripping. It is then put 
into the press, and fi.'om thence it is taken out in a state resembling a 
coarse cake, and is divided by a brass wire into small squares, which are 
placed in the drying places. A month's time is often required for it to become 
thoroughly dry, but this depends on the state of the atmosphere. When the 
indigo is perfectly dry it is put into cases, and sent to the market for sale. 
This mode of making indigo is practised throughout the Philippines. 
Nevertheless, some of the great growers of the plant have adopted a change 
in a part of the process, of which 1 was the introducer, and which has 
diminished very considerably the expense of the workmanship. This 
alteration consists in substituting for the fermentation vats a large bason, 
built of mason-work, and so arranged as to receive naturally the water 
required for its use. In the course of an hour, from a distance of from fifty 
to sixty yards, on a flat spot below the level of this bason, the number of 
vats necessary for receiving all its contents are filled. This bason, of 
which the brink is on a level with the ground, facilitates the process 
very much, and makes a great saving in the working-men ; for first, it can 
be filled with water without that water being drawn by the Indians, and 
the labour is avoided of taking the plants up a height of from four to five 
yards. The Indian who is carrying the plants to the fermentation vat 
comes with a little car, without wheels, to the brink of the reservoir, and 
then, without any difficulty, discharges his load into the reservoir. The 
vats for beating or churning are placed fifty or sixty yards off on the 
same line. The first communicates with the reservoir by bamboos, split 
in two, and forming a kind of channel, and each vat communicates with 
the others by the same means. The liquor passes from the reservoir 
to the first vat, and dui'ing its passage comes into contact with the 
air, and when the first vat is filled the surplusage is sent on to the others, 
and so on, to the last of all. All this movement of the liquor serves a 
real beating, and saves two-thirds of the workmen necessary for the 
fermentation. 



PHILIPPINE ISLAI^DB 319 

IV. 

Tobacco, 

Next to the cultivation of rice that of tobacco is, in a pecuniary point 
of view, the most important, although all the pi'oduct is obliged to be 
given up to the monopolising government which is the sole purchaser, and 
which, in its great establishment at Binondoc, employs continually from 
15,000 to 20,000 workmen and workwomen in manufacturing cigars for 
the consumption of the country and for exportation. They are sent all 
over India, where they are as much prized as are the Havanna cigars 
in Europe. 

In the island of Luzon, the greatest quantity of tobacco is cultivated in 
the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Cagavan. The mode of cultivation does 
not differ in any great respect from that followed in other parts of the 
world. It consists in making great seed-beds, firom which the plants are 
removed out into ground that is well tilled by several ploughings and 
harrowings. The young plants are set at intervals of a yard, in regular 
lines, which are separated by a distance of a yard and a half from each 
other. 

During the first two months after the trasplanting it is indispensably 
necessary to give four ploughings to the ground between the rows of the 
plants, and, every fifteen days to handpick, or even better, to root out 
with the mattock, all the weeds which cannot be touched by the plough. 

These four ploughings ought to be done in such a manner as to leave 
alternately a furrow in the middle of each line, and on the sides, and con- 
sequently, at the last ploughing, the earth covers the plants up to then- 
first leaves, and there remains a trench in the middle of the rows for 
letting off the water. As soon as each plant has gained a proper height, 
its head is lopped off to force the sap to turn into the leaves, and, in a 
few weeks afterwards, it is fit for being gathered. 

Mode of Gutherivg in the Crop. 

This crop consits in tearing off all the leaves from the trunk, and in 
separating them into three classes, according to their size, and afterwards in 
making them into bunches of fifty or a hundred, and in passing through 



320 STATISTICS OF THE 

them, near the foot, a little bamboo cane, as if it was a skewer, by •which 
the bunches are afterwards hung up to dry in vast sheds, into which the 
sun's rays cannot enter, but in which the air circulates freely ; they are 
left to hang there until they become quite dry, and for this, a greater or 
less time is required, according to the state of the weather. When the dry- 
ing is effected the leaves are placed, according to their quality, in bales 
of twenty-five pounds, and in that state they are handed over to the ad- 
ministration of the monopoly. 

V. 

Abaca, or Vegetable Silk. 

The Abaca is exclusively cultivated on the declivities of the mountains ; 
it grows exceedingly well in a volcanic soil, and there shoots up in every 
direction. 

The Abaca produces an abundance of seed, bat the seed is not used for 
reproduction, as its growth would require a long time before the plant 
could come to maturity fit for a crop. At the foot of the old stock the 
shoots are found, and are divided into as many seedlings as there are 
sjptoms of germination, and they are set in the earth in such a manner 
as soon to form new plants. 

The ground for the plantation is got ready during the dry season, the 
brushwood and the young trees are cut down, some of the lofty trees only 
are preserved to afford shade to the plantation during the first two years. 
When the soil is well cleared, lines are traced transversely to the mountain, 
and spaced from three yards, to three yards and a-half, the one from the 
other, and then holes of from ten to fifteen centimetres, and of about the 
same diameter, are opened in those lines, and, when the first rains begin, a 
sprout is laid in the hole, and covered up with earth. 

During the two first years frequent weedings are required to remove 
all the brushwood that grows around the young plants, and at difierent 
times during the rainy season, to stir up the earth at their roots with a 
mattock. 

The second year, the long broad leaves rising up from four to five yards, 
will keep down all weeds and brushwood. 

Crops. 
The plants in about three years produce from twelve to fifteen shoots 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 321 

eaoh, and yield some fruit, they should then be cut down. The leaves 
are now severed from the trunks, and taken to the place of manipula- 
tion, which is at some little distance from the plantation, M'here women 
divide them into thin strips, of from three to four inches in length, and 
separate the outward from the interior layers. The outer layers furnish the 
abaca used in making ropes, and the inner ones, being of finer filaments, 
serve for weaving ; the strips are exposed for some hours to the sun, to 
render them more flexible, and then an Indian places before him a small 
stool, on which, by the pressure of his foot, he can force down an iron 
blade ; he then places one of the strips on the stool, presses with the sole 
of his foot on the iron blade, which lies on the strip, and then, with all 
his strength, draws the strip to him, and by this movement and the 
pressure the filaments are cleaned from the parenchyme, or soft matter 
grown with them, and come out quite white, after which it is enough to 
expose them for some hours to the sun, and they are fit for sale. 

Every year, during the dry season, the grower has a fresh crop ; for a 
plantation properly arranged, in a suitable spot, yields indefinitely. 

VL 

Coffee. 

ilie cultivation of this shrub is carried on in the same way as in 
other ooionies ; it consists in making large seed-beds in places protected 
from the sun, either naturally by trees, or artificially by little straw 
huts. 

When the coffee plants reach a height of from twelve to eighteen inches 
they are transplanted in land prepared for that purpose, which is usually 
selected in large woods exposed to the rising sun, and on a slope, where 
care has previously been taken to eradicate all the brushwood and small 
trees, and to preserve those only whose shade may be useful ; and then in 
rows, about three yards distant from each, holes are opened at every 
two yards, and the young plants are j)ut into them, and the roots are 
covered up with well-tilled earth. 

During the first years it is requisite with the mattock to destroy all 
the weeds, but when the coffee trees are three years old, and begin to bear. 
u is enough to give them every year a good weeding, after the crop is 



322 STATISTICS OF THE 

taken away : they are topped in the fourth or fifth year, when about tea 
feet high. If allowed to grow to too great a height, the side branches, 
which are the best bearers, would be injured in their development, and, in 
addition, there would be difficulty in gathering the berries. 

Crops. 

The crop is gathered according as the fruit changes its colour from 
green to a fine red cherry hue. In our colonies, as soon as the fruits 
are gathered they are laid in the sun, to dry them in their pulp, and 
afterwards pounded in a mortar, to separate the dry pulp from the parch- 
ment, or second covering of the berry. 

In the Philippines, the Indians, after each gathering, bruise the pulp 
with their hands, and separate the grains by washing them in clean open 
water, and, after this manipulation, the grains which retain their parch- 
ment or second covering are alone dried for some hours in the sun, and 
then collected in sacks. 

By the first method several weeks of drying become necessary before 
the berries can be separated from the husks ; and if the rains occur it will 
be requisite to turn over the coffee heaps three or four times every day while 
they are thus drying, or fermentation will inevitably take place, which will 
prove exceedingly injurious to the quality of the cofiee. By the Indian 
method, one fine day of exposure to the sun will be sufficient to render the 
berry quite dry, and then the whole crop can be put into the stores. 

VII. 

Cacao. 

The cacao grows with ease in every part of the island of Luzon, but 
the best quality is produced at Zebou, where, also, the greatest quantity is 
cultivated. 

The spots best suited .for the cultivation are alluvial lands, having 
great depth of soil, and somewhat shaded by trees. The expense of culti- 
vating cacao is, for the first year, greater than that of cofiee ; for, after 
removing the weeds, the brushwood, and the trees that give too much 
shade, a quincunx of ditches is dug, of four or five feet deep, on a square 
of equal extent ; the earth is passed through a hurdle, and in it are mixed 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 338 

pieces of plants which have been broken, and the earth is thrown back 
into the ditches, and therein are set the young plants, of which such cai-e 
has been taken as to have them sprouting during the previous three 
weeks, in a little earth laid in banana leaves. 

During two or tlu-ee years care is taken to dig around the young 
shrubs, and to eradicate all the weeds likely to prove injurious to them. 

Crops. 
The crop consists merely in gathering the fruits when ripe, in opening 
them, in separating the beans from the parchment, and in drying them 
before the sun. 

VIII. 

Cotton. 

The cultivation of cotton, which is carried on to a great extent, and 
especially in the province of Ilocos, is, of all the products of the Philippines, 
that which requires the least labour and expense ; it generally follows a 
crop of mountain rice. As soon as the rice crop is carried off, the ground 
receives a light ploughing, and in the tracks made afterwards by the 
plough, at a distance of a yard from each other, some cotton seeds are laid, 
and covered in the earth. In about two months afterwards the cotton 
plants begin to flower, and to produce fruit, which is gathered in every 
day during the hottest hours. 

The gathering of this crop lasts until the first rains, which destroy 
the shrubs, and stain all the cotton that they then produce. 

IX. 
Pepper. 

Formerly the island of Luzon, and particularly the provinces of Laguna 
and Batay, used to produce a large quantity of pepper, which was exported 
by the Philippine Company, who had a monopoly of it. 

The price was at that time fixed by a measure called ganta, which was 
used both by sellers and buyers. When the growers came to sell their 
products at Manilla they found that the agents of the company had 
altered the measure, by making that of the company double the capacity 



324 STATISTICS OF THE 

of the one used by the Indians, thereby cheating the sellers. The Indians, 
furious at this trick, went back to their own country, and in a few days 
destroyed all the pepper plantations, so that now the island of Luzon 
scarcely produces pepper sufficient for its own consumption. 

The pepper plant is generally cultivated near the mountains, in spots 
where heavy dews fall and keep up the moisture. This parasite requires but 
little care ; it is propagated by cuttings, and it is enough to take a piece 
of from twelve to eighteen inches, to bend it together, to cover the middle 
with earth, and to tie the two points against a prop, of from five to six 
feet in height, and as far as possible of dead wood, covered with its bark, and 
capable of absorbing much moisture. The young plant grows up, fasten- 
ing to the dead wood, and mounts as high as its top ; all that is i-equired 
afterwards is to weed around it, and to dig the earth once a year at its foot. 

Crops. 

The grains are gathered as fast as they change in colour from green to 
black. They are collected in heaps, and spread out in the sun for some 
days, in order to be thoroughly dried. 

X. 

Wheat. 

Wheat produces in the island of Luzon from sixty to eighty-fold, and is 
grown on the mountains in the different provinces, and in particular that of 
Batangas. Before sowing it, the Indians prepare the ground altogether 
in the same manner as for the mountain rice, and their seeding time is at 
the end of December or the beginning of January. Three or four weeks 
after the sowing the women give it a good weeding, and in three months 
and a-half, or four months, the crop is ready for harvesting, and is saved 
in precisely the same manner as the mountain rice. 

XL 

Sugar-Cane. 

The cultivation of the sugar-cane takes place according to two methoas, 
which differ from each other : — the one is practised in lands just ciearea, 
and the other in lands that have been already ploughed. 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 8S6 



First Method. 

The first method affords one of the most effectual means for carrying 
out a great clearing at a small expense, and is as follows : 

Towards the month of October all the trees and brushwood are cut 
down on the ground which is to be cleared for planting. This work must 
be done with great care, and it ought not to be neglecteJ, as soon as a 
tree is cut down, to lop off every one of its branches, and to strip it of the 
bark ; for if any time, even a few days, are allowed to pass, the wood 
becomes dry, and the barking is not only more diiEcult but more expensive. 
Fifteen days after all the trees are cut down, a fine day is chosen, when 
there is no wind, and when the sun is ardent, to set fire to them. On the 
following day, when all is burned except the logs of a great thickness, 
the workmen are employed in forming a fence round the plantation, to 
prevent it being trespassed on by animals ; and to make this fence the 
trees which have not been burned are used ; but the heavy logs, whi(!h 
cannot be removed with ease, are lefton the ground, to be burned in the follow- 
ing year. When the fence is completed, or even while it is going forward, 
some workmen are employed in preparing the soil for receiving the young 
cane plants ; each workman has a line to mark out the rows, at from four 
to five feet distance from each other, and in each of these rows, at three feet 
distance from one another, the workmen, with a hoe, open a little hole or 
furrow, a foot and a-half long, from five to six inches wide, and at least six 
inches deep, in which tlie plants are put. 

Before the holes are made for receiving the plants, it is indispensable 
to divide the ground into large squares of from eighty to a hundred square 
yards, and each of them is separated from the others by alleys of at least 
three yards in breadth. When all the preparations are ready, the plants 
are procured. They are the points of the canes which have been already 
gathered in, and which serve as saplings for the new plantation. They 
are cut off in lengths of from ten to twelve inches, tied up in large 
parcels, like asparagus, and laid in water for at least three days, 
so as to be thoroughly steeped, care being taken that the water is not at 
all corrupted. After three days' steeping the plants are taken to tht 
new plantation, the bundles are loosened, and the cuttings are given 



3ii6 STATISTICS OF THR 

out to the planters, who, stripping ofiFsome of the leaves, lay two of them in 
each hole, in such a manner that each plant lies at length along the 
furrow or hole ; and if the bottom be not qnite level, a little earth is added 
to make it so. The point of a plant rises at each end of the Me, which is 
then filled up with finely powdered mould. If the plantation has been 
prepared during great heat, and if the drought be excessive, it is indis- 
pensable, before the plants are laid in the furrow, to pour into it from one 
to two quarts of water. 

"Wlien the plantation is finished it is not to be touched again until the 
weeds begin to grow, and great care must then be taken to destroy them 
as they spring up, otherwise they would soon smother the young canes ; 
but as soon as the latter have grown up, and cover the ground with their 
large leaves, it is unnecessary to make any further weedings, or to do any 
other work, up to the time of harvesting the canes. 

It is usually from the month of March to the end of May, and even in 
the beginning of June, that plani-ations are made according to the method 
which I have described. Ten or twelve months afterwards the canes are 
fit for being collected. As the canes are cut down in one of the large 
squares that form the divisions of the plantation, the alleys round it are 
cleaned with the greatest care of all the dry weeds, and of all the cane 
leaves ; and at the time of the day when there is least or no wind, that 
square is surrounded by the work-people, with branches in their hands, and 
fire is then set to the heaps of leaves covering the ground to the height 
of from one to two feet, and in a few minutes the whole is consumed. 
The precautions taken to clean the alleys, and to place the work-people 
with branches in their hands, arise from the dread of the fires communi- 
cating with the other parts of the field from which the cane crop has not 
been removed. 

A few days after the leaves are thus burned, the plough is taken into 
the ground, and some sods are taken away from near the stumps, so as to 
strip them, and to throw the earth into the middle between the rows. 
The first time that the plough is set at work in this ground great obstacles 
may be met with, which require to be treated with caution ; they arise 
from the great quantity of the roots of the trees, which are not yet rotten, 
and ploughing there becomes, on that account, a troublesome task. If 
the difficulties are too great, the pickaxe and mattock must be substituted 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 397 

for the plough, and the foot of each plant must be stripped, by throwing the 
earth into the middle between the rows. As soon as the first rains begin, 
and that the weeds shoot up with the canes, a part of them must be de- 
stroyed by the plough, if possible, and the rest by the mattock. If the 
plough cannot be employed, this work of weeding takes place usually three 
times in the year ; at the second time, the lower part of the canes are 
slightly dug around, and, at the third time, fresh earth is laid to them. 
But this second digging must be varied according to the fertility of the 
soil and the age of the canes, for the younger the cane and the more 
fertile the soil, the less it is useful to put fresh earth to the foot of the 
plant, and I shall now tell you why. 

Inversely to all other plants, the cane tends always to raise itself 
under the earth ; that is to say, if in the first year you plant it six inches 
under ground, in the second year it will be found at only three inches, in 
the third year at the surface, and in the fourth year in the earth which has 
served as the second covering ; so that the more you heap earth and the 
quicker it ascends, the greater the risk you run of losing several crops. 
In a fertile soil, it is enough to cover lightly with earth the foot of the 
stock, so that it shall sprout with vigour, and give a large quantity, and 
then you may augment your second covering, by little and little, to have 
from the same plantation the largest number possible of new canes. 

In the third year, generally, all the stumps of the trees and their roots 
are destroyed, and almost all the work can then be got through with the 
plough : the mattock is used only for the second covering, which ought 
then to be done so as to cover the stock of the cane to the height of from 
ten to twelve inches. 

Such is the course that is to be followed for making a plantation on 
ground just cleared. One important advice is requisite here, and that is, 
not to attempt to plant more than can be carefully attended to ; for if the 
mistake is committed, of having too much ground planted, it would be 
better to abandon altogether a part of the planting, in order to take 
proper care of the remainder, than to manage the whole badly. 

Jecond Method. 
The cultivation of the sugar-cane by the plough costs much less than 



328 STATISTICS va the 

that by cieanng-gronnds ; but it also gives in a snorter time two cropsj 
sometimes tliree, in very good hands. 

One of the first conditions is, about the month of November, December, 
or January, to plough the land three times, and to harrow it twice. When 
it is will tiiled and the earth quite fine, the land is divided into squares of 
from eighty to a hundred yards, and along each ditch between them alleys are 
left, of three or four yards in breadth : then divisions are made to facilitate 
the burning of the leaves after harvest, which is done in the same way as in 
the cleared lands. When the land is so divided, the third and last 
ploughing is given, for the purpose of tracing the lines into rows, in which 
the canes are to be planted. These rows are from four to four and a-half feet 
asunder, and this last ploughing leaves a furrow, which marks the line for 
laying down the plants. When the work is finished the plantations are 
surrounded with palisades, to preserve the canes from animals, which 
might destroy them ; and the plants are got ready in the same manner 
as for the plantation of cleared lands, and the holes are opened by one set 
of workmen, while others follow and lay the plants down and cover them 
with earth. 

If the plantations are got ready at the proper season, there is no ne- 
cessity for watering the plants ; but if the season Js very dry, care is taken 
to pour from one to two quarts of water in each hole. The plantations 
are usually made during the harvest, for it is then that the tops of the 
plants which are cut down can be easily obtained ; but as that occurs at 
the time of the greatest drought, and water is required, the process 
becomes tedious and costly, from having to bring to the ground so many 
thousand quarts of water. To avoid that expense, and also that of weeding, 
it has been found useful to prepare a field of canes specially designed for 
plants and for nothing else. The planting is then carried on in the month 
of December or January — that is, before harvest, when there are no heavy 
rains, but there is a sufficiency of humidity. The plant then vegetates 
luxuriously, and is strong and large when the heavy rains begin to fall. 
But whether the planting be done in times of humidity or of great drought, 
the process of cultivation is always the same. As soon as the rains begin 
and the weeds shoot up, it becomes necessary to have recourse to the 
plough, which is run within the rows, and care is taken to keep the furrow 
in the middle, and to strip a little the foot of the plants ; and, after the 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 339 

ploughing, it is almost indispensable to weed with the mattock and the 
hand the ground round the plants, in order to thoroughly eradicate the 
bad herbs which the plough could not reach. 

Generally, during the time that the plant requires for growing up to 
the height at which its leaves are sufficient to keep down the weeds, it is 
necessary to run the plough three times between the rows, and also to 
weed them three times. The harvesting is done in the same manner as 
that of the cleared-ground plantations, and as the plants of one square 
have been cut down, the leaves should be burned, and as soon as possible 
the plough is to be run between the rows, and the earth thrown into 
the middle. I have said that, as scon as possible the plough must be 
used, because, after the leaves are burned, the ground is moist, and the 
ploughing is done with great ease ; but if any delay is allowed, the glowing 
Bun, at that epoch of the harvest, is so strong that the ground soon becomes 
parched up, and the ploughing becomes less easy, and more injurious to the 
next growth. 

In good lands the same plant produces two or three crops. 

Crops, 

The harvesting of the sugar-canes takes place in the Philippines from 
the month of January to May which is the times of the greatest heats. If 
this harvesting can be effected within two months, it would be preferable 
to commence it in the month of March, in order to terminate it about the 
middle of May ; for it is during those months that the sugar-cane pro- 
duces matter, richer, and better filled with sugar. It is aiso the time when 
the rains are not to be found ; but when there is a large plantation, and not 
hands or machines sufficient to finish it in those two months, a beginning 
is made in January, in order to finish towards the end of May, when the 
heavy fall of rain commences. 

The workmen are divided into four sets : two for the field — one of the 
cutters, and the other of the carters or carriers of the canes to the manu- 
factory ; and two for the manufactory, of whom one is occupied with 
grinding the canes in a mill, and the others who boil the sugar. To make 
a good economical harvest of sugar-canes depends upon having a good 
mill, and upon a proper distribution of the workmen. The mill is the 
leader of the work ; for on its regularity depends the constant, orderly 



S30 STATISTICS OF THE 

labour of the workmen, with advantage to the grower. When the mill 
works well, and with good well-directed workmen, they who boil the sugar 
have not a minute to spare ; for they are obliged to boil all the syrup that 
the mill sends them. If the mill grinds many canes, the cutters are 
forced to cut an abundance of them, and the men who have the duty of 
transporting them to the mill cannot be idle while taking them there. It 
is therefore an essential precaution to have a good mill, and a number of 
good workmen to keep it properly at work. 

Two days before the milling of the canes begins, the practice is to cut 
as many canes as possible, and they are taken to the mill. This practice 
has been adopted in order to have beforehand a sufficient quantity, so as to 
avoid the vexation of seeing the mill stopped from want of a supply, since 
in that case all the work is stopped, and some of the workmen have to 
remain idle. 

It is always recommended to the cutters to cut the canes as low as 
possible — that is, on a level with the ground ; for every piece left above the 
ground is so much lost, and becomes an obstacle to the next cultivation. 

I shall not enter into the details of sugar boiling, for within some few 
years the greatest improvements have been introduced into the apparatus 
used for the purpose, and it would not be possible, in this short sketch, to 
describe the new machinery, or the methods of making use of the various 
utensils. 

In the Philippines, the last improvement that has been made was to 
copy that which was done, or perhaps what is now going on, in Bourbon — 
that is, by working a battery, composed in general of from five to sbc 
boilers, gradually diminishing in size ; from the first, in which the defeca- 
tion of the juice takes place, the syrup is successively passed on to the last, in 
which the boiling of it is effected. Each operation requires forty-five minutes. 
After the juice has been defecated, and the battery is in full operation, you 
take of the defecated product fi-om a hundred and thirty to a hundred and 
fifty pounds of sugar. The chief difficulty in boiling sugar is the defecation, 
or clarification, by removing extraneous particles, and also the boiling it 
to the proper point ; for practice alone can teach you when one has put 
a sufficient quantity of lime, in order that the syrup shall be properly 
clarified, and practice also can alone show when the sugar has been boiled 
to the proper point. 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 381 

XII. 

Bamboo. 

Its Culture, Mode of Planting, Cutting, and Preservation. 

The bamboo in tbe Philippines is a native, plant which grows there 
almost without any cultivation, on the mountains and in the plains. It 
presents varieties of fifteen or twenty species, from those of from two to 
three inches in circumference to others as thick as a man's arm. There 
are some having in the inside a hollow space, which is sometimes from 
eighteen to twenty-five inches in diameter. All these various bamboos 
have their different uses. With the small ones, enclosed fields are fenced 
in ; with the large ones, conduits are made for removing water. When 
divided into long slight filaments they are made into hats, baskets, 
ropes of considerable strength, arms and weapons which cut through 
flesh with as much facility as does steel, and even fleams for bleeding 
horses and buffaloes ; and even kitchen utensils for boiling food, in 
the same manner as in an iron pot. It is also with the bamboo, that 
the traveller can in a moment procure fire, as with a tinder-box and a 
flint. 

The cultivation of the bamboo is of the simplest nature ; it is trans- 
planted by cuttings and layers. A piece is taken, divided into five or six 
knots ; a hole is made with a mattock, and this piece of bamboo is laid 
therein with a slight inclination ; and is then covered up with earth. 
The end above ground has two knots, and a split is made in it so as to allow 
the rain-water to rest there as in a reservoir ; if there be a strong drought 
at the moment of planting, this part is filled with water, and the plant 
is left to itself. Care is however taken, every three or four months, to 
remove the brushwood, which might prevent the young plants from spring- 
ing up to their usual height. 

In three years the first cuttings may take place, but to preserve the 
plant, and to cause it to produce an abundant crop for many years, care 
must be taken to cut the sprouts which are to be taken at least from four 
to five yards from the ground. If they are cut on a level with the earth 
the plant would be entirely ruined; perhaps because the shoots, being 



3b*3 STATISTICS OF THE 

entirely stripped, would no longer be preserved from the burning rays of 
the sun ; or because the branches and the leaves, which grow in abundance 
round the foot of the plant, cannot receive nourishment any longer from 
the air, and have, therefore, none to furnish to the roots. I state this 
opinion without confidently asserting it ; but it is certain that, in order to 
preserve a plantation of bamboos, and to have abundant crops of them, 
the precautions I have pointed out must be adopted. 



I shall terminate this sketch by some observations on the Buffalo, which 
is the faithful companion of the Indian in all his toils. 



XIII: 

The Buffalo. 

The buffalo, when domesticated, is an animal of more docility, and which 
during its life renders more services to man than does the ox. This 
benefit depends on its being tamed when young — that is, when only a year 
old, and then it may be left to the guidance of a child of eight or ten 
years ; but if it is allowed to live untamed until it is three years old, it 
becomes too restive and wicked. It is quite certain that the tame buftalo 
will never do the child any injury, for its instinct is such that it knows there 
is no bad treatment for it to fear from a weak creature. In strength it is 
superior to the ox ; its food is of the coarsest kind, it eats all kinds of 
herbs, even those that are rejected by the more delicate beasts. The 
buffalo goes to seek them in the plains, on the mountains, and even at 
the bottom of every kind of water, where he browses, when the heat forces 
him to take refuge therein. The Indian associates the buffalo with all his 
work ; with the buffalo he ploughs, and on its back he carries and trans- 
ports articles across mountains, and by paths that even mules could not 
travel. The Indian also mounts his buffalo to cross over considerable 
sheets of water ; he places himself, standing, on the animal's broad back, and 
supports himself by the leather strap. The docile animal swims patiently, 
and often drags behind it the little cart, then floating on the surface. 



PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 333 

The services of the buffalo are so numerous that it would be too long 
to enumerate them. It is necessary to have lived among the Indians, and 
to have carried on tillage with them, in order to appreciate, and to know 
thoroughly, the great difference between the buffalo and the ox. 

The female buffalo, being little employed in work, gives a great quantity 
of milk, which contains a much stronger quantity of butter than that of 
our C0W6, Escellent cheese is made from it. 

In fine, another eminent service which the buffalo renders is, that he 
becomes a powerful means of disinfecting the marshy districfs. The buffalo 
is, as it were, amphibious ; he spends the night while feeding on the 
plains, and in the day-time, during the heats, he is in the marshy spots ; 
browsing on the river brinks, and at the bottom of the water ; everywhere 
any plants grow he destroys them, by continually stirring up the muddy 
bottoms ; he causes the noxious animals to perish that are to be found 
therein, and changes at last the nature of the marsh, which, when 
frequented by troops of buffaloes, no longer exhales those pestiferous gasses 
which are the Bource of tl(e marsh levers. 



P. DE LA GIRONIERE. 



AGETCULTUEAL IMPLEMENTS 



USED IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



I.— THE INDIAN PLOUGH. 

' It IS exceedingly simple : it is composed of four pieces of wood 
{1, 2, 3, 4), which the most unhandy ploughman can put toa;ether; the 
mould hoard and share, which are of cast iron (5 and 6^, are sold in the 
Philippines for half a dollar. 




The lightness and simplicity of this plough render it easy to he used in 
every kind of cultivation, and in the plantations divided into rows, such 
as those of tobacco, maize, sugar-canes, &c. It is used with great advan- 
tage, not only for cutting down weeds, but also for giving to each row a 
ploughing, which is serviceable to the plantation, and which is less costly and 
quicker than simple weeding with the mattock. 



AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 



335 



II.— YOiCE FOR THE BUFFALOES. 

The yoke of the bufialo is of the simplest 
aud most commodious kind. It consists 
solely of a piece of wood, bent so as to suit 
in its shape to the withers of the animal ; 
it is worn on its neck, extending to the 
middle of the shoulder, and is fastened 
under the neck by a piece of twisted liana- 
or by a piece of rope ; at the two ends of this piece of wood the traces are 
fastened. Buffaloes are always yoked one after the other, like the horses 
of the public waggons. 

Ill— LILIT, OR THE INDIAN SICKLE. 





With the crook the rice is caught, which being drawn 
into the corner makes it easy to take a good handful of 
it with the left hand ; the crook is then moved a little for- 
ward, by making a slight movement with the hand, which 
loosens it ; and by the same movement the steel blade 
comes into contact with the straw, and then by drawing 
the crook towards you, the handful in the left hand is cut 
by one stroke. 



IV.— THE COMB HARROW. 
1 




This implement is used exclusively in the cultivation of aquatic rice : 
for the purpose of reducing the ground to a state of liquid mud. The cross- 
bar (1) is of wood, and the teeth (2) are of wrought-iron. 



336 



AGRICULTUBAL IMPLEMENTS. 



v.— A GUILIGEN, OR HAND-MILL. 



A sort of hand-mortar for sepa- 
rating the rice from its husks (1 
and 2) ; it represents two truncated 
cones, made of bamboos woven to- 
gether like a basket. Each cone is 
separated near the middle by a" bam- 
boo division, and the space at the 
side of the head is filled with well- 
beaten clay ; in this clay are in- 
serted, to a considerable depth, 
several little boards of palm wood, as 
broad as the middle finger, one third of an inch in thickness, and four inches 
in length. They are so placed as almost to touch each other, and in rows, 
like a mill-stone which has been just picked. These two cones, when so 
ready, are placed one over the other by the top, and the upper one is 
turned by means of a wrench (3) on the lower one, and the rice 
passing between the two grinders is slightly brayed, and nothing is wanted 
but a few strokes of a pestle, for it to be completely skinned and to show its 
beautiful white colour. 





VI.— THE MOETAK. 

This form of mortar is found in every Indian cabin, 
where it is daily in requisition for pounding the rice 
consumed by the occupants. 

Luzon, the name of the principal island of the 
Philippines, is derived from, or rather is a corrup- 
,tion of the word Luqon, signifying a "mortar." 



APPEIDIl 



TESTIMONY OF M. GABRIEL LAFOND. 

In our own time, a Frenchman, whose name merits an honour- 
able distinction, has rendered an immense service to Manilla, by 
introducing and perfecting the culture of coffee in the colony. 
This meritorious individual is M. Paul Proust de La Gironiere, 
m.y countryman and my friend. 

M. de La Gironiere, born at Nantes, and connected with the 
principal merchants of that city, left his native place in 1818, as 
surgeon on board the Victorine, fitted out by his uncle for Man- 
illa. Seduced by the natural beauties of the country, he made 
a second voyage there in the following year ; established himself, 
practised medicine, married the widow of the Marquis de Las 
Salinas, and eventually, having acquired a considerable estate 
on the borders of the Laguna, he summoned his elder brother to 
assist him in working it. 

In 1828, the Spanish government, which had lost its American 
possessions, felt the necessity of taking vigorous measures for the 
development of its remaining colonies. Cuba was then at the 
height of its prosperity ; and the same agricultural and commercial 
results were anxiously hoped for the Phihppines. A royal decree 



338 APPENDIX. 

instituted various prizes for the encouragement of the culture of 
indigo, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves, tea, and cofiee. Amongst these 
prizes, one of eight thousand piasters,* wa,s, promised to any one who 
would plant and ripen sixty thousand square feet of cofiee. M. de 
La Gironiere entered the field as a competitor, and sent to the 
Isle of Bourbon for M. Adolphe Delaunay, an experienced colonial 
agriculturist, to whom he intrusted the direction of the new 
plantations. In this enterprise he had to surmount obstacles of 
all kinds : want of hands, want of even pecmiiary aid, fruitless 
experiments, the ravages occasioned by bufialoes, by wild boars, 
by stags, by monkeys, added to which, the devastation caused by 
clouds of locusts, similar to those of Egjrpt. He was hkewise 
subjected to the jealous feelings of other colonists, who constaiitly 
endeavored to thwart his efibrts ; nevertheless, aided by intelligent 
assistants, his perseverance eventually enabled him to succeed in 
conquering every obstacle. He drew around him a large popu- 
lation, he built villages, he constructed store-houses, and a beau- 
tiful residence : in a w^ord, he changed an unproductive soil into 
a fertile and magnificent property ; and, finally, obtained the prize 
of eiglit thousand piasters, which were paid him by Signor Enriquez 
the representative of the Spanish government. M. de La Gironiere 
will no doubt find imitators ; the prosperity of his wide domain 
will awaken the apathetic inhabitants of the Philippines ; and this 
example of the power and influence of a single hmman will, firm 
and enlightened, cannot fail to efiect beneficial results. 

Jala- Jala, washed by the limpid waters of the Laguna, is capable 
of transporting, by means of barges, the produce of its harvests 
to the warehouses of Manilla, or even on board the vessels destined 
to convey the same to China, to India, or to Europe Its situation 
is admirable, and one of the finest of the entire colony. The in- 
terest mspired by its creation, the vast labour thereby necessitated 
and the admirable results which have crowned the same, drew the 
numerous foreigners, and especially Frenchmen, travelling in these 
distant parts to Jala-Jala, where they were always received with 
the noblest and the most generous hospitahty. 

* The piaster is equal to 3s. 7d. British currency. 



APPENDIX. ;3'39 

Unfortunately domestic afflictions caused M. do La Gironiero 
to leave a country where he had lost his wife, his children, and 
his brother. Arrived in France, the government, upon the pro- 
position of M. Barrot, consul-general at Manilla, and of the brave 
Marshal Soult, who knew how to reward civic as well as military 
courage, accorded him the decoration of the Legion of Honour ; a 
recompense deservedly merited. But Spain owes more to Paul do 
La Gironiere than France. The latter had regarded him as one 
of her children who has carried civilisation to the other end of 
the world ; will Spain ever recogrnse the services he has rendered 
her by the admirable perseverance he displayed with regard to 
Philippine agriculture ? 



11. 



TESTIMONY OF H. HAMILTON LINDSAY, ESa. 

Westdean House, Chichester. 
August 16th, 1853. 

Gentlemen, 

In reply to your inquiry as to whether I 
have any notes relative to my visit to the Lake of Socolme, in com- 
pany v\^ith M. de La Gironiere, I am sorry to say that I can find none. 
I have, however, a vivid recollection of that very curious spot, 
which is quite at your disposal, should you like to insert it in the 
translatioii of La Gironiere's work you are about to publish. 

All the natives of the neighbouring villages held this lake in 
superstitious terror, and declared that any one venturing on it 
would inevitably be devoured by the hordes of caymans which 
frequented it, so that when in one of our excursions we proposed to 
explore it, not one of our boatmen would come with us, we had 
therefore to go to a village many miles distant to engage a crew. 
A single canoe certainly might have been exposed to danger ; so to 
obviate any risk, we had two large canoes hauled over the mound 
— about a quarter of a mile in width, and eighty to a hundred 
feet high — which separates Socolme from the Laguna ; and, having 
launched our canoes, we made a platform over them, and lashed 
them strongly together ; and then with a party composed of La 
Gironiere, myself, and a Chinese servant, with eight or ten stout 
Tagalocs, armed with four double-barrelled guns, pikes, cutlasses, 



APPENDIX. 341 

and axes, to repel any attempt at boarding, we proceeded to ex- 
plore. The number and size of the brutes which we saw cer- 
tainly in some measure justified the reputation of the lake, 
though they seemed more afraid of us than we of them. As we 
proceeded quietly round the banks at least thirty rushed down 
into the water, we keeping up a constant fire, though without 
succeeding in killing any. 

The lake itself I should say was less than a mile in diameter, 
nearly a perfect circle, and the sides, excepting towards the La- 
guna, rising to a considerable height, and covered with trees of 
a gigantic size. Its depth rapidly shelved from five to forty 
fathoms about one hundred yards from the shore, the centre 
having a uniform depth of forty to fifty fathoms. It is evidently 
the crater of an extinct volcano, the whole adjacent country be- 
ing volcanic, but its curiosity consists in its bottom being at least 
twenty fathoms below the level of the sea. 

I happen, among some old papers, to find a description of our 
adventures in the Cave of San-Matteo, which was written the 
day after our visit, and is therefore more accurate and circum- 
stantial than that of my friend, evidently written from, imperfect 
recollection, many years after the event. I now forward to you 
the original rough copy, as sent home at the time to my friends 
in England, and, if you think it worthy of a place in your book, 
you are quite at liberty to publish it. 

La Gironiere's book brings back to my mind many pleasant 
recollections of early youth, and of two summers spent in ram- 
bling over the beautiful island of Manilla ; and it gives me great 
pleasure to have an opportunity of bearing testimony to the kind 
and generous hospitality I met with at Jala-Jala, which was my 
head-quarters for many months. There are certainly some strange 
stories of adventures in my i, iL'ud's book, to the general accuracy 
of some — in which I was a participator — I can bear testimony ; 
others, especially those relating to the extraordinary gallantry 
and daring displayed by him at the time of the cholera, and con- 
sequent massacre of Europeans at Manilla, in 1820, were fresh 
in the recollection of many at the time of my first acquaintance 

P 



342 APPENDIX. 

with him. No foreigner enjoyed more completely the esteem 
and confidence of all classes in Manilla — Spaniards, Mestizos, 
and Tagals — than '■'Don Pablo" and no man can he better 
qualified to give authentic and valuable information regarding 
the resources and agriculture of the island than himself I 
therefore look with much interest to the additions promised on 
these points in the volume you are about to publish. 

I have the honour to remain, 

Your obedient servant, 

H. HAMILTON LINDSAY. 

To Messrs. Vizetelly and Co., 
Fleet Street. 



ACCOUNT OF A VISIT TO THE CAVE OF SAN-MATTEO, IN THE 
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF MANILLA. 



Manilla, May 26tli, 1830. 

We have just returned from a visit to the Cave of San-Mat- 
teo, which has long been considered as one of the most interest- 
ing objects of natural curiosity to be seen in the Philippines ; 
but, as we may consider ourselves as the first discoverers of the 
wonders to be seen in the innermost recesses of this extraordi- 
nary cavern, I will forthwith commit to paper the particulars of 
our journey while they are yet fresh in my memory. 

We left Manilla on the afternoon of the 24th May, and a 
pleasant drive of an hour and a-half brought us to Mariquines, 
a pretty village, situated in a fertile valley, which narrows gra- 
dually as you continue your journey towards San-Matteo, another 
large village in the centre of the plain, and which has nothing 
remarkable to distinguish it. We slept here, and, having made 



APPENDIX. 343 

our arrangements for horses, guides, &c., at six the following 
morning started on our expedition. 

As you proceed the valley grows narrower, the mountains on 
either side increase in height and grandeur, and you enjoy a 
beautiful view of the mountain Panimitan, in which the cave 
is situated. On arriving at the village of Balete, we crossed the 
river, which flows smoothly and silently betwixt high and rich- 
ly-wooded banks. Our path was in some places barely practi- 
cable for horses, winding along the rocky banks of the river, 
which we had to ford four times before we arrived at the place 
where we had sent our provisions for breakfast. 

The spot where we halted was one which requires the pencil 
of an artist to give an adequate description of. Directly in front 
of us were two stupendous mountains, which, from their nearly 
perpendicular sides, seemed to have been torn asunder by some 
violent convulsion of nature, and between them flowed the E-io 
di San-Matteo, no longer calm and placid as before, but foaming 
and bubbling betwixt huge rocks of white marble. The scene 
was so striking, that — although to my infinite regret, I have no 
idea of handling the pencil — I endeavored, by the assistance of 
a few outlines, and writing down where were to be rocks, wood, 
and water, to carry away with me what might enable another 
to delineate the scene. 

I must not forget here to make honourable mention of the de- 
licious fish with which we were regaled, as there is something 
peculiar both in the mode of catching and dressing them. The 
water of the river is cL3a<r as crystal, and in some places very 
deep, and when the fish are playing on the surface, an Indian 
dives to the bottom and, rising directly under them, catches the 
fish in his hand with surprising dexterity ; and the mode of dress- 
ing them is one certainly deserving the admiration of the whole 
race of gourmands. A few joints of the green bamboo, about 
two feet long, are cut, into which the fish is thrust, with some 
leaves of an herb much resembling sorrel, a few pimentos, and 
other spices, and a little water is also put in ; the mouth of the 
cane is then stuffed with leaves, and it is put into the middle 



344 APPENDIX. 

of a hot fire ; as soon as the bamboo begins to burn, the fish is 
dressed, and I will defy any restorateur of Paris or Amsterdam 
to produce a better water-souchy than we eat that morning. 

All this however caused delay, and it was past ten before we 
proceeded towards the object of our journey. My only compa- 
nion was a French gentleman, M. de La Grironiere. We had 
once more to cross the river at the narrowest part of the gorge 
betwixt the mountains, of which I despair to give an adequate 
description — it was nature in its wildest state. The dark moun- 
tains frowned perpendicularly over us to the height of near two 
thousand feet, and the river foamed and rushed in numberless 
cascades through the enormous masses of white marble, which 
seemed in vain to endeavour to check its progress. It was a 
scene which I would gladly have ridden fifty miles to see, even 
if I had had no other object, and in the time of the rains, the 
torrent must be awful. 

We crossed the river, stepping from rock to rock, and after 
scrambling about a hundred and fifty feet by the aid of rocks 
and trees, we found ourselves at the mouth of the cavern, ac- 
companied by about twenty Indians, all provided with long 
torches made of split bamboos ; we also had not forgot to bring 
wax candles, which afterwards did us good service ; a fine of 
twenty yards to measure the cave ; flint, steel, and matches, in 
case of accidents ; but, alas ! we forgot what was of much im- 
portance, and which no traveller who explores mountains ought 
ever to be unprovided with — a hammer and cold iron chisel. 

We entered the cave, and proceeded accurately to measure its 
depth, of which I had heard such contradictory reports at Manilla. 
My companion walked twenty yards into the cave, and, as the 
extremity of the string checked him, stopped and marked on a 
slip of paper ; I then passed him another twenty yards and so on. 

For the first two hundred yards the cavern varies from seven 
to twelve and twenty feet in height, and about twelve in breadth ; 
the roof and sides are composed of a kind of soft calcareous soap- 
stone, with occasional layers of loose stones and sand; at two 
hundred and fifty yards our way was impeded by large rocks, over 



APPENDIX. 345 

which we chmbed, and on the right side found a precipice, of 
which we had been previously warned. We threw in large stones 
which fell in a pool of water ; others which we threw in a slant- 
ing direction, and with more violence, escaped the well, and we 
heard them bounding from rock ta rock till the sound was lost ; 
having no ropes we could not descend to examine further, but 
proceeded on our way. 

Here we began to experience the greatest annoyance from the 
torches of our Indians, which, from the dense smoke they emitted 
consumed the air, and impeded our respiration. We endeavoured 
in vain to persuade them to extinguish them, and finding remon- 
strance useless, I got hold of all I could and threw them into the 
chasm ; upon which many of the fellows got frightened, and left 
us, and we were thereby quit of two nuisances at once, as the 
noise they made was intolerable. 

The cavern here enlarges, and becomes more irregular ; there 
are huge detached rocks, through which runs a stream of clear 
water frequently above our knees, in which I observed some cray- 
fish. Occasionally we had to clamber over masses of rock, twenty 
feet in height, and carefully descend their slippery sides. The 
scene was truly worthy of Salvator Rosa. The bright glare of 
the torches which disturbed myriads of large bats or flying foxes 
from their holes, and illuminated the dusky vault of the cavern, 
and the dark forms of the half-naked Indians, formed quite a coup- 
de-theatre of the grandest kind. 

At last, after having counted six hundred yards, we reached 
what had hitherto been considered the end of the cavern. The 
stream whose course we had followed here formed a kind of basin 
five or six feet in diameter and issued forth from a hole in the 
rock, which descended till it touched the water, and formed an 
insurmountable barrier. 

We found, in a cleft in the rock, the broken wine bottles which 
had been left ten years before by my present companion, and 
several names cut in the rock. There were here, and in various 
parts of the cavern, some stalactites, but of a dirty brown colour. 

This seemed the termination of our journey, and as we were 



346 APPENBIX. 

nearly stifled by the smoke of the torches, we were thinking of a 
return, when my companion — who had all through seemed hent 
upon making some discoveries — descried a small stream of water 
descending through a narrow aperture in the rock above us, and 
immediately commenced exploring it. The Indians all declared 
that it led no further, and that it was impossible to penetrate it ; 
but M. de La Gironiere was already out of sight, and calling on me 
to follow him, which I readily did. Only one of the Indians would 
accompany us, and a Chinese boy whom I had brought with me. 
I now found myself climbing up a narrow hole, like the funnel 
of a chimney, composed of irregular rocks, wet with the constant 
dripping of water ; sometimes perpendicular, sometimes slanting 
or horizontal ; at times so narrow that it required the assistance 
of my feet and arms to force my way through, at others large 
enough to stand up and barely touch the roof with my hand ; but 
conceive my delight at feeling a fresh and -pure air blowing directly 
in our faces, so strong as to make us fear for our candles. Fresh- 
ened and revived, and animated by the hope that we were going 
to penetrate to the other side of the mountain, we sat down a few 
moments to repose ourselves, and examine the spot we had attained. 

The cavern had here enlarged to eight or nine feet in height 
and more in breadth ; it was no longer wet and dirty like the 
previous part, but the ground and sides were covered with beau- 
tiful stalactites of the purest white, forming numerous little pyra- 
mids, like loaves of sugar. After a few moments' repose we pro- 
ceeded exploring, using the precaution always to have three 
candles lit at once, in case of accidents. On reaching about 
eighty yards from where we left our Indians, we again thought 
that we were at the end of the cave. A vault or fissue of the 
rock rose above us to a height that we could not distinguish the 
top ; most of the rocks were covered with beautiful incrustations 
and pyramids, of which 1 broke several to take with me. 

On examining this cavern minutely, I discovered to the left 
a small hole through which I could barely pass my head, which 
seemed to lead farther, and enlarge as it rose. Here began our 
difficulties. "We longed to get through and pursue our researches, 



APPENDIX. 347 

but we had no tools wherewith to enlarge the aperture, perseve- 
rance, however, does wonders, and we commenced chipping the 
rock away as we could with stones. The situation was also 
awkward as before arriving at the hole ; the rocks were so nar- 
row that only one could work at a time, and there was no room 
for the arm to give force to the blow. 

However, it was soon sufficiently enlarged for my Chinese 
boy to crawl through, and we sent him in with a candle to report ; 
he made good his entrance, ascended a land of chimney, and 
we lost sight of him, but in a few moments he returned, shouting 
with joy that he had found a large room all white. I redoubled 
my efibrts, and, at the expense of numerous scarifications of my 
knees and shoulders, forced my way, and clambered up through 
narrow rocks about ten feet, when I found myself suddenly in a 
large vault which rivalled the famed Grotto of Antiparos. 

The ground and a great part of the walls were formed of one 
mass of pure white or darker stalactites, but all glittering like dia- 
monds, and covered with shining pebbles of every shape and size, 
with which — like Aladdin in the cave — I instantly commenced fill- 
ing my pockets. The farther extremity of the grotto was lost in 
darkness, but the most striking object of all remains to be described. 

Exactly over the spot from which I emerged, as from the 
bowels of the earth, rose a pyramid, white and glittering like the 
sunbeams on frosted snow, in shape and form like the altar of a 
church, rising with pillars and branches of stalactites of every 
imaginable shape to the height of nearly thirty feet. The efiect 
was indescribable. Byron's fabled cave of the Island was realized 
before my eyes — 

Wide it was and high, 
And showed a self-born Gothic canopy ; 
The arch upreared by Nature's architect, 
The architrave some earthquake might erect, 
The buttress from some mountain's bosom hurled, 
When the poles crushed, and water was the world ; 
Or hardened from some earth-absorbing fire 
While yet the globe reeked from its funeral pyre. 
The fretted pinnacle, the aisle, the nave. 
Were there, all scooped by darkness from her cave. 



346 APPENDIX. 

There with a little tinge of phantasy, 
Fantastic faces moped and mowed on high : 
And there a mitre or a shrine would fix 
The eye upon its seeming crucifix. 
Thus Nature played with the stalactites, 
And built herself a chapel. 

I am far from being a devotee, but I confess that for some mo- 
ments I felt overpowered by mingled feelings of awe and venera- 
tion, which can only be felt, not described. It was not fear I The 
violent exercise and the situation I had attained in so singular a 
way had excited my feelings to a high degree, and my reflections 
were not ill-suited to the place and circumstances. 

"We had penetrated nearly eight hundred yards into the very 
entrails of the earth, to a spot now for the first time profaned by 
human footsteps, where Nature herself seemed to have raised an 
altar to the honour of the Divinity. The only outl.et was a nar- 
row aperture, which a single stone might block up for ever. At 
that same hour on the very day before, an earthquake had shaken 
every house in Manilla to its foundations, and the end of the very 
grotto itself seemed choked by an ecroulcment of stones and earth, 
evidently of very recent date. I do not believe that any man, 
even of the strongest nerves, could have prevented some reflec- 
tions of a serious nature from passing through his mind. 

But all this while I have forgotten my poor con^Jagnon de 
voyage, who, being unfortunately an inch or two broader across the 
shoulders than me, was exhausting himself in vain efforts to force 
his way through, and almost crying with vexation and disappoint- 
ment. I went to his aid, and we hammered away alternately till 
the hole was sufficiently enlarged ; but still he did not get through 
without some severe bruises ; and I confess I was not without con- 
siderable uneasiness as to how he would get back again on our 
return, as the difficulty of our exit, feet foremost, would be con- 
siderably increased ; but reflections were useless, all we had to do 
was to employ our time to the best advantage, and endeavour to 
make farther discoveries while our candles lasted. 

The grotto might be generally from forty to sixty feet in height, 
but in the clefts of the rock the summit could not be distinguished ; 



APPENDIX. 349 

in breadth about twenty yards, and forty or fifty in length, but at 
the farther end a great part of the roof and sides had lately fallen 
in : neither was it covered with stalactites, but consisted of masses 
of common rock, mixed with earth and sand, of which I brought 
away specimens. We endeavoured to climb up, but having reached 
about twenty feet were obliged to relinquish the attempt, from the 
extreme peril of dislodging the loose pieces of rock, and bringing it 
all down together. At about thirty yards from the entrance we 
found a fissure in the rock, from which issued a stream, in appear- 
ance like a frozen rivulet covered with snow ; the sides of the rock 
were of the same, and covered with numerous pendent icicles of 
various size. The want of a hammer and mallet prevented our 
penetrating farther, but it is highly probable that this leads to other 
grottoes perhaps more wonderful than the one we were in. 

We had now passed nearly four hours in the cave, and, giving 
up all prospect of getting farther, we began to collect specimens of 
the various curious obj ects with which we were surrounded. Here 
again, for want of proper implements, we were obliged to destroy ten 
times more than we carried away. The walls were covered with the 
most beautiful white flakes, j utting out like the drapery of a curtain, 
from the height of eight or ten feet, which we were obliged to dash 
to pieces to obtain a specimen, and it was not without a feeling of 
sacrilege that I broke away a large fragment from the altar. Having 
loaded ourselves with as much as we could carry, we commenced 
our return. My friend went first, and, after a struggle of several 
minutes — of which he felt the effects severely afterwards — ^he 
forced his way through, and relieved my mind from considerable 
anxiety. We followed without much difficulty, and returned to 
where we had left our Indians, who were in great alarm as to 
what had become of us, though none ventured to come in search. 

We made the best of our way to the mouth of the cave, and, 
having descended to the river, you may conceive how we enjoyed a 
bottle of Bordeaux, &c., which we had brought with us, and I 
quitted the cave of San-Matteo, carrying away with me recollec- 
tions of its wonders which will not speedily be efiaced. 



350 



APPENDIX. 



Manilla, June 2nd, 1830. 

Our curiosity was so strongly excited by what we had seen 
that since writing the above we have made airother visit to the 
cavern, in hopes of making further discoveries, and have to 
thank our good fortune that we have returned in safety. 

We this time went provided with pickaxes and hammers, bags 
to carry away specimens — in short, every implement that we 
could think of; and three days after our last visit, a party of 
four — consisting of M. de La Gironiere, two other gentlemen, 
and myself — returned, resolutely bent on forcing a passage to 
the other side of the mountain, if possible. We had also profited 
by our experience, and had an ample supply of wax candles, in 
lieu of those villanous torches which had so nearly stifled us. 

Since our last visit I had also read in a French encyclopedia 
Tournefort's account of the Grotto of Antiparos, which, although 
on a larger scale, has much analogy with that of San-Matteo. The 
most singular coincidence is that the same idea should strike the 
imagination in the grottoes both of Antiparos and San-Matteo, 
namely, the extraordinary resemblance of the stalactites to an altar. 

M. de ISTointet, the French ambassador to the Porte, who 
visited Antiparos in 1760 (I forget the exact date), went so far 
as to cause high mass to be celebrated before it, and had a sump- 
tuous entertainment served there to more than a hundred people. 

We resolved in some degree to imitate his proceedings, at 
least as far as carrying with us a cold dinner and a hamper of 
excellent wine, with which we proposed to regale ourselves in the 
grotto, and to leave some relics as an encouragement to future 
visitors, to whom it would be no unwelcome discovery to find a 
few bottles of Champagne and Chateau-Margaux ; but all our 
projects of amusement ran rather a narrow escape of coming to 
a fatal termination. We proceeded as before — accompanied by 
about a dozen Indians — to the basin of water, and commenced, 
one by one, to ascend the narrow aperture before described. 

The Indian who accompanied us on our former visit went first, 
and I followed immediately after him. On arriving at a very 
narrow and nearly perpendicular pass, Florentino, after he had 



APPENDIX. 351 

ascended, called on me to wait a few moments, and he would en- 
large the aperture. Instead of chipping away the corners of the 
rock, he had the imprudence to strike some violent blows with a 
pickaxe at the rocks above him. After a few blows we were startled 
by hearing him utter a loud shriek, and, at the same instant, we aU. 
shuddered to see huge masses of rock come tumbling down through 
the aperture, nearly immediately over our heads. For a few short 
moments the feeling ofsuspense was dreadful : they were moments 
which none present will soon forget. At length, thank God I the 
noise ceased, and I called out to Florentino to know what had 
happened, but received no answer. At the same moment one of our 
companions below was taken suddenly ill from alarm, or some other 
cause, and called out for assistance to quit the cave. La Gironiere 
went to his aid, and I forced my way up through the aperture to 
assist the Indian, and my alarm was great on seeing him stretched 
on the ground without any signs of life. I raised him up, and as- 
certained that no bones were broken, and threw water in his face 
to revive him, but it was a quarter of an hour before he came to 
himself sufficiently to explain what had happened. 

It appeared that, on dislodging a small rock, several larger ones 
that were supported by it had fallen in from the roof, giving him 
some severe bruises, and he, imagining that the whole vault was 
about to fall in and crush him, had fainted, more from fright than 
any injury he had received. I was now joined by La Gironiere, 
and proceeded to examine the state of affairs, the result of which 
made us doubly thank Providence for our preservation. 

We now remarked what had escaped our observation in the 
ardour of our first discovery, namely, that the watercourse we were 
in was formed by loose detached rocks, which had fallen in from 
the roof, which was about six feet high, and, on examination, we 
found that the whole mass was freshly cracked in various parts, 
and in a most perilous state. A very singular circumstance oc- 
curred to the pickaxe which caused the accident. "When the Indian 
in his alarm dropped it, it fell on one side, and I found it support- 
ing a rock of at least four hundred- weight, which had been dis- 
lodged, and, by a singular good fortune, had at the moment found 



^<52 APPENDIX. 

a support ill the iron of the pickaxe, which was firmly wedged 
there, — I would not have removed it for much. Feeling convinced 
that there was considerable danger in proceeding further, we re- 
turned to the basin with our wounded Indian to consult. 

Having there refreshed ourselves, and recovered from our 
fright, the idea of coming so far for nothing was not agreeable, 
and we determined at least to return to the grotto, taking care to 
try no more experiments of the pickaxe nature. We passed 
cautiously through the dangerous aperture, carefully avoiding to 
dislodge any of the loose rocks, nor did we attempt to enlarge the 
hole at the entrance of the grotto. M. de La Gironierehad suffered 
so much from his last entrance that he did not again attempt it, 
and I confess I could not pursue my researches in it with the same 
pleasure I formerly did. I examined the fissiu'e at the farther end 
of the cavern, of which I could not see the termination, and 
which evidently enlarged, but not sufficiently to make it practic- 
able for us to enter ; neither did we think it wise, nor had we 
time enough to try to make it possible for us to force our way 
through. 

The system of the French naturalist, M. de Tournefort, relative 
to the vegetation of stones or stalactites in the Grotto of Anti- 
paros as far as my humble opinion goes, is not at all borne out by 
facts here. I possess little or no knowledge of natural history, but 
the observations I made convinced me that all the stalactites were 
formed by the droppings of the calcareous water. The extremity 
of the drapery of stalactite was always moistened, and evidently in 
the process of formation ; and the beautiful pyramids on the ground 
were found only in places where the roof did not exceed six or eight 
feet in height, and there was always a corresponding one attached 
to the roof, from which the water was continiially dropping. The 
ground was also covered with beautiful stones, the nucleus of which 
was a black pebble, and the incrustation formed round them by 
the water resembled the crystalised sugar-plums, or dragees, so 
strongly, that a few days afterwards, at a ball in Manilla, I filled a 
small plate with them, wrapped up in paper, which deceived all 
the vouna: jadief? till they tried to eat them. 



APPENDIX. 353 

"We had visited the cave in the dryest time of the year, just 
before the commencement of the rains, during which the formation 
of stalactites must he much more active ; hut still it must have 
been the work of many ages to form masses of such magnitude as 
the altar, — the depth of solid alabaster must have been five or six 
feet. 

Having loaded ourselves with specimens of every description as 
heavily as the very inconvenient road we had to pass through would 
permit, we once more returned, and on our way stopped and looked 
into several deep chasms which had never been explored, but which 
doubtless will merit attention. I descended for about twenty feet 
into one, by a kind of natural steps cut in the rock, and had we 
been provided with ropes might have gone further. The air was 
perfectly pure aird free. At a hundred and fifty yards from the 
entrance there is another branch as long as the principal one, in 
which we penetrated near two hundred yards. In short, it appears 
that the whole mountain is intersected and excavated in all direc- 
tions ; hitherto, however, no one has taken the trouble to explore it ; 
indeed, the principal part of the whole island of Manilla is still a 
terra incognita, even, to the Spaniards. The Indians are timid 
and superstitious in the extreme. 

They have a curious legend respecting the cavern, which has a 
singular resemblance to the German tale of the " Three Brothers," 
in the Hartz Mountains. 

An Indian one day entered the cave to catch bats, with the 
wings of which they compound some sort of medicine. On 
arriving at the stream of water he saw a venerable old man on the 
other side, who offered his hand to help him across the stream. 
The Indian was rather shy of his new acquaintance, and held out 
the end of his stick, which the old man took, and it instantly turned 
into charcoal. Upon this the Indian became anxious to return, and 
thanking the old man for his politeness, told him he did not mean 
to go any further that day. 

The old man then offered him three stones, and, to remove any 
fear of their burning his fingers, deposited them in the stream. 
The Indian took them, and retreated as quick as he could, without 



354 APPENDIX. 

looking behind him ; and, on examining the stones at the mouth of 
the cave, to his surprise he found them to be three masses of pure 
gold. The story did not go any further, as to what use he made 
of his riches. The old Indian who told m.e this story said it hap- 
pened long before the arrival of the Spaniards. 

H. H. L. 



IIL 



TESTIMONY OF M. DUMONT D'URVILLE. 

" The residence of M. de La G-ironiere, which we reached in 
the afternoon, is situated at the extremity of the lake. There, 
upon a neck of land which overlooks Santa- Cruz, the chief place 
of the province, is built, in the European style, a commodious 
dwelling, having two stories. Large warehouses, a sugar factory 
in full operation, other establishments of lesser importance, and a 
Tagal village are grouped around the habitation. The whole of 
this, which iis called " Jala- Jala," is the property of a fellow- 
countryman, M. de La Gironiere. Jala-Jala has been created, 
organised, watched over, and christened by him. A few years 
previously this spot consisted of a wild forest and an unwhole- 
some swamp, with here and there the cabins occupied by robbers 
and pirates. At the present time it is covered with fertile plan- 
tations, a profitable manufactory, a tranquil and industrious vil- 
lage. The native population, drawn thither by the existing 
prosperity, daily increases, while the clearing and cultivating of 
the surrounding land advances in due proportion. Thus to one 
of our countrymen is due the merit of having taken the initia- 
tive in reclaiming and fertilising this Spanish soil. 

" And to accomplish this, how many difficulties, and how much 
jealousy had to be overcome. An inhabitant of Manilla since 
1814, M. de La G-ironiere only succeeded in disarming the local 
antipathies that existed by a long residence in tSe country, and by 
a Creole marriage. What had been until then obstinately refused 



356 APPENDIX. 

even to a native was accorded to him, a Frenchman, w^ho was 
confident of his own powers and of the fecundity of the soil. 

" We met with the most cordial hospitality at Jala- Jala, from 
an excellent man possessed of many noble qualities. The sup- 
per was gay and abundantly served. "We chatted of Favea and 
of Luzon, and drank in excellent claret to our future voyages, 
and to the prosperity of the m&del farm. 

" The following day our excursions into the interior re-com- 
menced. Our host gave us jackets and pantaloons of coarse 
cloth ; he caused us to cover our heads with a salacote, which 
served as a protection as well against the rain as the sun. Thus 
dressed, we went to visit Santa-Cruz, a pretty little town situate 
on the borders of the lake, in a plain covered with crops. The 
convent, the church, the white houses, which were detached on 
the woody hills, soon attracted the eyes of all. Santa-Cruz is 
the chief market-place for the brisk sale of palm wine, and of 
cocoa spirits ; it is inhabited by Tagals and Chinese ; the former 
being agriculturists, the latter dealers. Unfortunately the site is 
not healthy, as the inundations in the rainy seasons cause fever 
and cholera. 

" At a further distance, and in a delightful position, is the cele- 
brated little village of Los Banos, which first attracted Europeans 
to the province of Lagmia. As its name indicates, this village 
possesses baths of mineral water, the virtues of which were 
formerly held in high repute at Manilla, and cures were quoted, 
in support of this opinion, of such frequency, and of such an 
extraordinary nature, as to confound even the medical practition- 
ers. The mountain, on the side of which this village is situate, 
is evidently the production of a volcano, and the source spring- 
ing from it is at the temperature of boiling water. Although 
Sonnerat assures us that he saw fishes alive in it, we must, with 
other modern observers, place this assertion on the list of tra- 
vellers' fables. Renouard de Sainte-Croix has proved that no 
plant could vegetate therein. Every animal plunged into it 
loses the skin in a moment. An egg becomes quite hard-boiled 
in four minutes. 



APPENDIX. 357 

" The waters of Los Banos appear to be efficacious principally 
in diseases of the skin. In former times it was the fashion at 
Manilla to go and spend a month in the fine season at these hot- 
baths, where beyond all doubt, as in all other thermal localities, 
the salubrity of tlie air, the exercise of the body, the absence of 
all broils, whether demestic or commercial, a regular and me- 
thodical life, and healthy and gentle mode of treatment of di- 
seases, produced on the bathers better effects than did the curative 
properties of the waters. But during the last fifty years this 
pilgrimage for health has fallen into disuse. The English inva- 
sion in 1762, the appearance of bandits in an island of the lake, 
the high price of the baths, their being badly kept — all these 
causes had the effect of keeping the crowd away from the hamlet 
of Los Banos. Yet there is not to be found in the Pyrenees or in 
the Alps a site of such an imposing and beautiful kind. Enor- 
mous volcanic blocks, with angular and facetted forms, spiral co- 
lumns, rocky pyramids, bearing on their very topmost crests groups 
of trees, of which the age and the names are unknown. In the 
rear of this row of forests and of mountains, arise other moun- 
tains and other forests of a different aspect and character, and 
from a distance exhibit in their great elevation the courses of 
their torrents into their broad and deep fissures, where range, in 
untamed freedom, buffaloes, wild boars, stags, and negro tribes, 
which latter are as savage as stags, wild boars, or buffaloes. 

" All these districts appear to have the evident marks of a dila- 
ceration ; the sunken peaks show the extinct craters, the black- 
ened stones bear witness to previous eruptions, and to complete 
those symptoms, Luzon itself at different periods trembles on its 
basis ; the churches, the convents, the houses at Manilla, topple 
and crumble to the level of the earth. The nearest of those an- 
cient volcanos is a mile from Los Banos. The crater, which 
formerly emitted fire, is now filled with greenish stagnant water. 
In this little lake, about a league in circumference, are some 
gigantic caymans, who there thrive and gambol at their ease. 
Renouard de Sainte-Croix saw one, the length of which ex- 
ceeded fifty feet. 



358 APPENDIX. 

" During onr excursion to Los Banos, that which struck us 
most was the prodigious quantity of ducks and ducklings, which 
were sporting on this part of the lake ; the surface was covered 
with them. The cause of this abundance of one kind of birds 
was soon understood from knowing the taste of the Tagals, of the 
Malays, and of the Chinese, who prefer them, to other fowl. But 
we were puzzled to find out how such a wonderful quantity could 
be hatched ; our guide, however, soon solved the difficulty. To 
serve as substitutes for the ovens that are used in China for arti- 
ficial incubation, the Tagals have employed the agency of human 
heat, and they found, among their uidolent servants some patient 
and steady hatchers. A sort of frame is made for that purpose, 
on which light sticks are laid across, well covered with thick 
blankets ; the eggs are stowed up in the frame in a regular line, 
being laid close to each other, and kept in their places by ashes 
which fill up the interstices. The whole is then raised up in a 
level position a little over the ground, and the sluggish hatcher 
lays himself at length on this strange kind of sofa ; and then he 
eats, drinks, and smokes, and chews his betel, taking care not to 
injure the fragile shells he is to fecundate. 

" Those hatching men are so clever that they follow day by 
day the progress of the embryo, and they aid the young bird to 
quit the shell, when the time for breaking it has arrived. The 
ducklings are scarce out of the shell when they run to the lake, 
and dabble in it all the day, and in the evening they hide in the 
floating cages, which are erected for them on the beach. The 
rearing of ducks is one of the principal branches of industry in 
the village of Los Banos and of Santa-Cruz. 

" On the following day, which was the last of our pilgrimage, 
M. de la Gironiere made arrangements for our having a partie 
de cliasse according to the strictest rules. At break of day we 
were awakened by the sounds of the horn, and in a short time 
dogs and grooms, huntsmen and servants, carriages, horses, pa- 
lanquins, were all in movement towards the forest. It was al- 
most a royal party. 

" The hunt began on the woody sides of a hill, marked by such 



APPENDIX. 359 

difficult paths as to be nearly impassable. "We had scarcely got 
into it than the dogs started a stag, an elegant and noble animal, 
but rather smaller than our fine ones. He came close to Nor- 
berg, who took aim, and the stag fell. A mile from thence the 
pack gave tongue on finding a new prey, which was a wild boar, 
one of the finest ever seen in the forests of Laguna. On this oc- 
casion the honour of the hunt was mine. Shortly afterwards we 
descended from the crest of the mountains into a plain cut up by 
copses and marshes, which is the usual haunt of the wild buffaloes, 
that are the most dangerous animals of these countries, Q,uiet, 
obedient, and even enduring when once tamed, 4he buffalo is ter- 
rible in the state of nature. The sight of a man maddens the 
brute so that its eyes glow, and its nostrils throw out its fiery 
breath. The unfortunate hunter who misses his aim never es- 
capes : he is lost. No horse in full gallop can reach an adver- 
sary sooner ; no sanguinary beast maintains such rancour and 
blood-thirstiness. If he reaches you he pierces you with his sharp 
horns, he tramples on the earth, he tortures you while you ate 
alive, and he insults you when dead. Even a tree cair afford no 
security against his pursuit, for as he cannot reach his victim on 
the boughs, the buffalo becomes the jailer before he becomes the 
executioner ; he persists in vengeance, and takes his station as an 
obstinate sentinel close to the tree of asylum, and never quits his 
post until exhausted by hunger and thirst. M. Laplace relates 
that a Tagal of Jala-Jala, while at work in cutting down wood, 
had the good fortune to escape in a strange manner from a buf- 
falo which had for some time kept him blockaded in a lofty palm 
tree. Forced by hunger, the woodman had the courage to come 
down from the tree, and to begin the fight singly with his for- 
midable antagonist. On reaching the ground, the buffalo attacked, 
but the man avoided the horns by nimbly jumping round the 
brute, and at length found means with his right hand to seize it 
by the tail, while with his knife in his left he inflicted many 
wounds on the sides of the beast. Finding itself thus assailed 
the buiTalo fled like an arrow, but the courageous Tagal kept his 
hold, and let himself be dragged through the brush- wood, over 



360 APPENDIX. 

the rocks, in the marshes, until he at last fell covered with 
mire and blood in the place where his enemy lay dead. 

" To tame the wild buffalo the natives lay traps in ditches 
covered over with leaves, and when the brute is allowed to quit 
the inclosure he is so overcome with hunger, that in his weakness 
and exhaustion he lets hiniself be led to where the tame animals 
are feeding, and thus from the example of others he learns the 
habits of slavery. The bufialo born in a state of domesticity has 
seldom any desire for independence ; the natives even say that 
it bears on the neck the marks of the yoke of its dam, which 
forms for the wild buffaloes the degrading brand of exclusion and 
reprobation. 

" Our hunt was accompanied by many incidents too long to be 
detailed here : at one time it was a re-roused animal, which en- 
gaged our attention, at another a picturesque site, then it was a 
hamlet, then it was a forest. But a cascade near Jala-Jala was 
one of the things that made a deep impression on us. To reach 
the spot it was necessary to walk in the bed of the ravine, among 
sharp and slippery rocks. Notwithstanding the dangers and the 
unevenness of the way we persisted, and we were fully recom- 
pensed by the sight of this immense sheet of water, falling down 
between walls of a perpendicular rock, and sloped over with trees 
and lianas, that formed themselves into festoons over the abyss. 
In this spot there was so much of wild and primitive nature to 
be observed, the most remarkable silence in the presence of so 
loud a noise, that our admiration, like our attention, was fully 
absorbed in the contemplation of the scene. Wo animals, not 
even birds, in a spot where water alone seemed to possess life ; 
sometimes, indeed, a bat would dart out from a split in the rock, 
and hover for a time in the atmosphere, which was impregnated 
with a thin rain. There was but one way to get out of the bed 
of the torrent, that of the rock, which appeared to be cut quite 
perpendicular. The Tagals who accompanied us began the at- 
tempt. One of them seizing a long liana which hung from the 
top to the foot of the granite wall, climbed up, as a mason would 
do on his knotted rope. Although we had but little practice in 



APPENDIX. 361 

this mode of ascent, we made the attempt, and hy imitating them, 
and profiting of the lianas that hnng around to aid us, we were 
successful. The liana which we saw appeared to us to be the 
same as that which abounds in the virgin forests of America. 
Its long trunk, which laces itself round the tree and creeps there 
every way, is covered with a brown, stringy, and coarse skin. 
"When it is cut there flows from its greyish interior a limpid 
water, without any smell, and not having a disagreeable taste. 

" After the great hunt came the little one, which consisted in 
some small turtles called, " pmiiard ivmincUr from the small 
tufts of blood-coloured feathers which they have on their necks. 
"We killed also two monkeys in the thicket, into which they had 
retreated, and also a gazelle of the kind which La Perouse de- 
scribes in his voyage. 

" Thus in two days, one of promenade and the other of active 
and fatiguing hunting, we explored the greatest and the richest 
portion of the district of Laguna ; and there we found a country 
fertile in rice, in pepper, and in indigo ; forests which afibrd the 
finest wood, as well for drying as for building ; and we also 
learned from the example of a French colonist, the wonderful 
advantages which can be drawn from such a soil, from such a 
climate, from such water, and from all such nature. 

" Delighted with our trip, we bade adieu to our hosts, and got 
on board our bark, which speedily took us back to Manilla." 



ly. 



TESTIMONY OF ADMIRAL LAPLACE. 

I GLADLY accepted the pressing invitation of M. de La Gironiere, 
our fellow-countryman, and proprietor of a handsome residence on 
the hanks of the Lagiina, and on the morning of the 17th October, 
accompanied by Mr. Paris and by Mr. Eussell, an American mer- 
chant of eminent respeetability, and one of my most agi'eeable 
acquaintances at Bidondo, I left Manilla in a small boat, manned 
by Tagals in the service of M. de La Gironiere, whose brother 
obligingly acted as pilot. To reach our destination we had to ascend 
the rapid current of the stream. At nine o'clock we halted at 
Pasig, a Tagal village of some importance, which gives its name to 
the neighbouring river. 

Breakfast was laid out on the grass, and our hunger and good 
spirits impai'ted to it a peculiar relish. The lively remarks of the 
party on the social scene around us made the momfints fly rapidly. 
Before us was a wooden bridge, partly destroyed by time ; around 
its ruins were mooied several fishing-boats, with immense nets like 
an overhanging cloud upon ttie water, ^i ear the banus innumer- 
able flocks of ducks furrowed the stream in every direction. The 
number of those domestic birds, all of the same size, excited my 
curiosity. To my great astonishment, I learned that they were the 
produce of eggs, hatched by men, who, for a small stipend, have the 
patience, or rather laziness, to remain constantly lying on the future 
ducklings. For this purpose the eggs are stowed side by side in a 
layer of ashes, so as to form an even surface, protected by a trellifl 



APPENDIX. 363 

frame, and covered thickly with wool or cotton. The whole appa- 
ratus is contained in a sort of truckle bed, slightly raised above the 
floor of the close hut in which it is placed. Such is the sagacity of 
this novel tribe of duck hatchers that they can tell to a moment 
when the shells are about to break ; then opening them with great 
great dexterity, they allow the y.oung brood to run to the river, 
whence they return every evening with a more experienced guide to 
floating cages, fitted with little drawbridges, which are raised every 
morning, and let down again at night after the flocks have returned. 
Indeed, the breeding ducks at Luzon, were they twice as numerous, 
could never supply the enormous consumption of their offspring by 
the inhabitants, who have a national relish for that kind of poultry 
to the exclusion of all others. 

After leaving Pasig we continued for some time to coast along 
grassy banks well shaded by trees. Uneasy glances were cast on 
us as we passed by buffaloes, lying listlessly on the sod awaiting the 
hour of labour, while others, wallowing in the slimj water, indicated 
their presence only by the loud snortings from their nostrils, which 
alone appeared above the surface of the river. 

The increasing rapidity of the current, patches of inundatedland, 
and the distance of the rice plantations from the houses, soon ap- 
prised us that we were approaching the Lagima. We came up 
with extensive fisheries. A quantity of long bamboos, half buried 
in the slime, and bound together by ropes of Indian weed, rise 
above the surface of the water, notwithstanding its great depth, like 
partitions. These partitions form a narrow laybrinth, in which 
the fish getting more and more entangled are ultimately taken in 
nets placed at every outlet. These fisheries bring large revenues to 
the proprietors who consequently pay a heavy duty, in consideration 
of which the government overlooks the many injurious effects to 
navigation, necessarily caused by such establishments. We, too, had 
to encounter some of these inconveniences, but the magnificent view 
of the lake extending before us quickly caused us to forget them. 
The Laguna, of an irregular shfepe, may, according to the Spanish 



»>o.i APPENDIX. 

estimate, be about thirty leagues in circumference, and the general 
depth varies from twenty-five to thirty feet. This body of fresh 
water is supplied by a number of streams descending from the 
higher levels, which are covered with sombre forests, and form, as 
it were, the first steppe of those different chains of mountains which 
extend to the interior of the island, and lose their summits in the 
clouds. The side by which we entered is the only one where the 
coast is low. It was then completely inundated by the overflow 
of the lake during the late rains. 

The dwelling to which we were directing our course was con- 
cealed from view by islands, we were therefore obliged to pass 
through one of the deep and narrow channels between them ; but 
a strong head wind springing up, our little craft could make no way, 
and our sailors were completely worn out with fatigue. It was four 
o'clock ; all our efforts to pi'oceed just then would have been vain. 
We landed accordingly at a point that jutted into the strait, and 
took refuge in the hut of a poor fisherman, the only inhabitant per- 
haps of this little desert peninsula. This poor and unfortunate 
native of Luzon, cut off" from all human society, dependant for 
support only on his own industry, nevertheless knew how to read 
and write ; and this in a country reduced by its masters to the 
lowest stage of ignorance and degradation. How far does not such 
a fact as this go to redeem the charges made against the monks of 
Luzon. 

The part of the coast on which we had landed is mountainous, 
steep, thickly wooded, and impassible, except to wild boars ; it 
presents a reef of rocks extending to the bank, and terminating in 
a sheer precipice ; but all this side of the lake is by no means of 
such diflScult access. Before entering the little strait we had passed 
a beautifid village, situated on the extremity of a plain bounded 
by mountains. 

Night was approaching, and we had as yet made but half our 
journey. The breeze, instead of lulling, which is usually the case 
before sunset, had inci-eased ; on the other hand, the chill which we 



APPENDIX. 865 

began to feel, together with the clouds of mosquitoeS; promised un- 
favourably for a night of repose ; all these powerful considerations, 
and the rest that our Tagals had enjoyed, decided us to proceed at 
all hazards. Several times during the remainder of the passage 
my travelling companions were alarmed by the swell of the lake 
breaking, from time to time, over our heavily laden boats, by the 
violence of the wind and the intense darkness. It was eleven 
o'clock at night before we reached our destination, drenched, be- 
numbed, and starving ; but a kind reception, an excellent supper, 
and the considerate attentions of our hosts, followed by a good 
night's rest, effectually revived and cheered us. 

The proprietor of the residence where I met with such warm 
hospitality had left France in 1814. The signal services rendered 
by him to the colony during the terrible ravages of the cholera, 
his worthy character and amiable disposition, had won him the 
esteem and goodwill of the principal authorities of Manilla, and 
the permission, until then steadily refused, even to Spaniards, to 
possess and cultivate land on the banks of the Laguna. Great 
energy and perseverance were requisite to cany out, or even to 
attempt, suoli a difficult task. These rare qualities were united in 
our fellow-countryman with varied information and some know 
ledge of agriculture. He gave tip a tranquil and easy life, and 
with his wife, a pretty Spaniard, belonging to one of the first 
families of the colony, he came to found, in a wild and almost un- 
inhabited country, an establishment which, by its astonishing 
progress and the happy effect of example, has taught the Spaniards 
the value of tliese hitherto reglected lands, and has thus opened to 
the colony a new source of prosperity. 

I soon rallied my spirits at this delightful spot after the recent 
depression of Manilla ; I even forgot its annoyances, and rejoiced 
in the freedom which the affectionate attention of my hosts enabled 
me to indulge. Each day brought some new diversion. Some- 
times we set out early in the morning on a sporting excursion, 
our retinue consisting of nine huntsmen, many of whom, I admit, 

a 



366 APPENDIX. 

owed this title chiefly to the fact of their carrying a gun. Our 
accoutrements were all in keeping with the wild state of the country. 
They consisted of, for head gear the salacote, equally effective 
against sun and rain, cloth jackets, ample and stout trousers, and 
thiek-soled shoes. We took with us twenty dogs, in rather poor 
condition and of different hreeds, hut staunch veterans, up to any 
fatigue, and the terror of stags and wild boars ; they could scarcely 
be kept in order by several pikemen acting as whippers-in. Lastly 
came sundry led horses, a resoiu-ce in case of need for the laggards, 
and the whole assemblage, collected by appointment under a huge 
tree, till then standing in utter solitude, formed a " meet " inde- 
scribably novel, animated, and picturesque. 

The hunt started in the direction of a lofty hill, covered towards 
its summit with long grass, and thickly wooded at the sides. We 
wound slowly up the acclivity by a scarcely preceptible path : the 
pikemen took the lead. Nets to insnare the game were placed at 
every pass. Presently the hounds were heard to give tongue in 
the distance, and the increasing animation of their cry, which every 
moment became more distinct, proved them to be on the true 
scent. At length we reached the hunting ground. The post as- 
signed to me was to watch the nets and the piliemen placed at in- 
tervals to force the stags to our side. Three of these fine animals 
had just passed me, so rapidly that I had scarcely time to notice 
til em, and I was in the act of lamenting my want of promptness, 
when a shot, followed by triumphant shouts, went off at a few 
paces from me. My host, an expert and indefatigable sportsman, 
had struck the animal as it was bounding over a marsh, and about 
to plunge into the thicket. Some of the hounds were already 
closing round the expiring prey, with flashing eyes and jaws in- 
flamed and distended, as if devouring by anticipation the promised 
i-eward of their toil. The entrails of the victim, thrown to them by 
a pikeman, were demolished in an instant. The body, slung across 
a horse, was carried home in triumph, to make its appearance at 
supper. 



APPENDIX. 



867 



The concluding part of the sport was not so successful as might 
have been expected from this brilUant debut. The gatoe took 
refuge amid the steep acclivities, where the dogs alone could follow 
it. We continued, however, to ascend by a circuitous path, and at 
length, after having made our way through a quantity of long, 
tough, and matted grass, we arrived at the summit of a hill, whence 
we had a magnificent prospect of the lake. The weather was serene ; 
the water, like a sheet of glass, reflected the mid- day rays of the 
sun, and threw a gorgeous light upon the distant pile of mountains. 
This majestic spectacle struck me as contrasting sadly with the 
insignificant works of man, of which we recognised the feeble 
effects on the banks of the lake, forming an almost imperceptible 
speck in the midst of the rich vegetation so lavishly spread around 
by uncultivated nature. The chain of islands stretching across 
the Laguna seemed to lie at our feet. My attention was first at- 
tracted to the smallest of these islets ; it is round, and contains the 
crater of an extinct volcano, into which the sea has found a passage, 
and which abounds in fish as well as crocodiles of an enormous 
size. The curious spot awakens superstitious terror in the minds 
of the Tagals, who have a strong repugnance to accompany Euro- 
pean thither. 

Deeply intent upon the magnificent and varied scene before me, 
I quietly enjoyed the luxury of solitude, the more so that the 
audible cries of the huntsmen, and the barking of the dogs, secured 
me from all apprehension of being molested by any of the ferocious 
animals that infest the country. But when the chase sped down 
the plains, which all consisted of marsh and jungle, my fears of 
the wild buffaloes made me anxious to regain the protection of the 
hunters. This animal, so gentle and tractable when domesticated, 
is terrible in its untamed state ; the sight of man renders it fu- 
rious, its eyes glare, its nostrils dilate and seem to breathe flame, its 
unwieldy bulk becomes wonderfully active in the pursuit of its 
enemy. Nothing can stop its headlong course towards the unlucky 
sportsman, whose ill-aimed shot has missed or only slightly wounded 



868 APPENDIX. 

it. The infuriated beast gores him with long and sharp horns ; or 
should the aggressor seek to escape its vengeance by climbing up a 
tree, the animal constantly keeps guard below, gloating on the 
view of its prisoner, until compelled by hunger to depart. A Tagal, 
from the village of Jala- Jala, engaged in cutting wood, had the good 
fortune to escape in this manner from an enormous buffalo that 
attacked him : finding pasturage in the vicinity, the buffalo never 
for an instant lost sight of the tree in which the woodcutter was 
concealed ; the poor fellow carried no arms except the long knife 
that the natives always wear in their girdle, and which they handle 
very expertly. Impelled by hunger he at last descended from the 
tree, but only to be more vigorously pursued than before. Just, 
however, as the terrible horns were withdrawn for an instant to 
gore him, he contrived to seize hold of the buffalo's tail with his 
ieft hand, whilst with his right he stabbed him repeatedly with his 
knife. The astonished animal darted off like an arrow, but being 
soon exhausted by loss of blood he slackened his pace, and fell 
dead by the side of the Tagal, who was himself a mass of wounds 
blood, and mire. 

At these hunting parties I was more a spectator than an actor, 
but exercise restored my health, and when I regaled myself at 
dinner on the venison or the wUd boar, it mattered little to me 
that they had fallen by a more practised hand. 

Shortly before sunset we generally commenced anothei" less 
fatiguing chase, and one better suited to my sporting talents. It 
was that of a specious of large, cunning, and mischievous ape, 
which made great havoc in the sugar cane and rice plantations. 
These exploits bring it into great odium with the natives, and 
particularly the children, who are obliged to mount guard day and 
night to protect the crops from the ravages of the enemy. Guided 
by these willing auxiliaries, and by dogs trained to this novel 
species of warfare, we easily tracked these apes to their strong 
holds, then stratagems, and more frequently their nimbleness, 
baffled our skill ; but in the long run, by blockading some isolated 



A.PPENDIX. 369 

tree, where a number of them had taken refuge, they were brought 
Ctown by a discharge of musketry, and bit the dust with loud cfies 
of rage and despair. Their remains were then ornamentally sus- 
pended on the branches of some tree near the scene of their depre- 
dations. These animals are amazingly strong, they make enormous 
springs when pursued, and can be stopped only by a mortal wound ; 
liiey are no less destructive than fierce, and their teeth are not less 
iormidable than those of beasts of prey. 

In the evenings we used to assemble round a table, waiting for 
supper and listening to the gossip of the 'village. A little scandal 
often crept into the conversation, and jokes would pass round at 
the expense of the Cur^, a robust, jovial, and merry Tagal, whose 
breviary was the sum total of his knowledge, but who, nevertheless, 
had some natural talent and a great desire for instruction. Not 
over strict in his own practice, he cordially detested the monks, 
and had no mercy on his parishoners who were defaulters at the 
holy table or the confessional, the dues from these sources form- 
ing the chief part of his revenues. He was unmercifully rallied 
on the score of a new niece, who, as well as her intended, was, 
according to the usual custom, lodged at the presbytery, imtil such 
time as her parent should consent to the marriage, which ceremony 
was to bring a handsome fee to the good Padre Miguel. 

The demoralising tendency of this custom in favour of an un- 
scrupulous clergy is obvious ; still it goes far to prove their influence 
over a population whose distrustful and jealous character they 
have thus been able to mould to their wishes. 

Sometimes the conversation took a more serious, though to me 
a no less interesting turn. Explanations were given of the system 
adopted to maintain order in the populous districts destitute of 
regular troops, by means of an organised militia, upon whi(^ 
subject our host, who was captain of the corps stationed at Laguna, 
gave me detailed information, which led me to conclude that the 
Spanish, or rather monastic government, warned by past experience 
had talcen due precautions against a new attack of Europeans. 



370 APPENDIX. 

The point where the peninsula of Jala-Jala is connected with 
the mainland, by mountains rising gradually to a considerable 
elevation, is remarkable for many picturesque sites. To that quartei 
therefore, we often directed our morning walks. The coast abounds 
in rice plantations, through which we were obliged to pass, along 
embankments constructed for the purpose of irrigation. The gi-ound, 
moistened by previous rain, gave way beneath our weight, and we 
sank knee deep in the mud; but our good humour and perseve- 
rance were unconquerable, and, indulging at each other's expense 
the merriment caused by our begrimed condition, we rapidly scaled 
the mountain. 

Our course was guided by the distant roar of the splendid cas- 
cade to which we were proceeding. The bed of the torrent, sti-ewn 
with gigantic rocks, among which the water seethed and bubbled as 
it dashed towards the lake, was our only path, but of a break-neck 
character at every step. Nothing however could check us, and the 
whole party reached the spot without mishap. An admirable scene 
of savage grandeur then presented itself. From towering rocks, 
crowned as with a canopy of majestic trees, monster tendrils of the 
liana hung in immense festoons, forming a vast and gloomy vault, 
deepened to sepulchral darkness by a cloudy sky. Here the torrent, 
swollen by long rains, dashed with a stunning noise down the pre- 
cipitous cliffs, and, bounding over the huge stones pUed below, 
expanded into a beautiful sheet of foam, and sped its impetuous 
course tln'ough the ravines. All animak seemed to have fled this 
spot, and its gloom and isolation inspired an involuntary emotion 
of fear. Neither the song of birds, nor the hum of insects was to 
be heard ; our sounds alone mingled with the monotonous sound of 
the water-fall. Some lugubrious bats, the only tenants of this soli- 
tude, emerged fi'om the clefts of the rocks, and wheeled in circles 
above us, yet the "report of a gun seemed to cause them no ad- 
ditional alarm. At length, after much fatigue and some risk, we 
reached the summit of the cascade, by means of the branches of the 
liana, one of which, breaking in my hand, left me on a rugged and 



APPENDIX 371 

slippery rock. I was in a great dilemma, and, until rescued by my 
friends, had horrible misgivings that my untimely fate would add a 
tragical celebrity to the cascade of Jala- Jala. 

After enjoying for a considerably time this new and picturesque 
scene, we quitted the waterfall and pushed on through the wood to 
inspect some of the objects of curiosity, — one of them, a brook 
of singularly limpid water, acrid to the taste, and depositing 
a slight sediment, resembling in colour oxide of copper. It 
may, perhaps, have washed in its course some veins of that metal. 
The natives do not consider it unwholesome, yet they rarely drink 
it. I thought the taste disagreable, and for some time after 
drinking it my mouth and throat felt unusually parched. 1 re- 
marked in these mountains the liane du voyageur, so common in the 
forests of America ; its long tendrils, covered with brown fibrous 
and thicli bark, fell in festoons from the apex of a large tree, that 
seemed bending under their weighty net-work. From the stem that 
I cut, a few feet above the gi'ound, flowed, through large pores of 
greyish and well-compacted pulp, a stream of fresh clear water, 
which had no perceptible odour nor any nauseous taste. Thus has 
all-provident Nature placed this plant in the burning climate of 
the New World, and of the Asiatic Archipelago, as an immediate 
resource to those unfortunate human beings whose lot it is to 
traverse the vast forests of these regions. 

SuiTounded by such delightful amusements, and treated with the 
kindest attention by my host and charming family, I felt the days 
glide away too rapidly. My health was perfectly restored. The 
north-east monsoon was about to set in, and the fine season had com- 
menced. I was therefore compelled to resign the delights of so 
soothing a mode of life, and to return to Manilla, there to make 
an-angements for quitting Luzon. I took leave with real regi-et, and 
the kind concern testified by M. de La Gironiere and his whole 
family at my departm-e, increased my earnest desire to meet them 
again at some future period. 



TESTIMONY OF M. MALLAT. 

Speaking of Jala-Jala, M. Mallat, a French geographer, and 
author of a work on the Philippines, says : — " The neighbourhood 
of the lake abounds in every kind of game, and the lake itself is 
covered with wild-fowl. The property of Jala-Jala, which may be 
looked upon as a kind of model farm, contains vast woods, where 
the stag and the wild-boar are hunted. On all sides horses and 
oxen are met with, which the proprietor sells to the dealers from 
Manilla. 

" The lake abounds with fish, and daily supplies the market of 
Manilla. Its borders are inhabited by caymans, or crocodiles, 
amongst which some enormous specimens are to be met with ; 
as, for example, the monster that one day M. de La Gironiere, 
the intrepid occupant of Jala-Jala, took by nets and killed. It 
is in the narrows of Quinabutasan that these animals mostly 
aboimd, but they are not the only predatoiy creatures encountered 
upon the lake, which is infested by pu-ogues worked by piratical 
robbers." 



THE END. 



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